FERC Rejects MISO's Proposed Restrictions On Joining The Development Queue

Securing interconnection and transmission rights and completing related upgrades is often the longest lead-time item in an electric generator's development timeline. At the same time, many potential new power plants are being developed and vying for access to the electric transmission grid. The policy of most grid operators is to address interconnection requests on a "first come first served" basis. As a result, developers/interconnection customers are incentivized to submit their interconnection requests as early in the development process as possible in order to save their projects' place in line. Over the last two years, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. ("MISO") experienced record-high interconnection requests, and yet nearly 80% of these submissions ultimately were withdrawn prior to commercial operation of the project. MISO attributed this trend to developers submitting multiple requests for the same proposed project to test (and quickly