The Midcontinent Independent System Operator has asked federal regulators to approve a fast-track process for studying large new loads and the generation that would serve them. The proposed Large Load Addition Resource Study, or LARS, would run on a 120-day timeline for loads larger than 200 MW, with the paired generation located in the same local resource zone. MISO's footprint has ten such zones, generally aligned with state boundaries.
According to the proposal filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, MISO would accept up to ten LARS applications per year across three study periods. The process is designed to weed out speculative projects through non-refundable deposits and strict deadlines: the generating facility's commercial operation date and the load's in-service date must both fall within three years of application submission. Load and generation must also remain paired for at least 15 years.
MISO says the parallel study of load and generation will produce more efficient network upgrades, and that the aim is to find the solution that best fits both generation and load needs at the lowest cost, rather than the lowest cost for either side alone. The grid operator expects demand to grow 1% to 3% annually through 2044, driven largely by data centers and manufacturing. The proposal follows FERC's mid-June finding that MISO's rules for integrating large loads were inadequate. MISO has asked FERC to rule by Dec. 2 so the first study period could open early next year.