MISO's proposal to speed up its remaining legacy interconnection queue, covering about 71 GW of projects, has drawn broad support from renewable developers and state utility regulators in filings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The grid operator warned that without changes, the Definitive Planning Phase–2022 study process could be delayed by at least 18 months, pushing back later queue cycles.
The plan would let projects exit the queue without penalties before Decision Point II on Oct. 20, raise the network upgrade cost threshold for penalty-free withdrawals from 35% to 50%, and limit final restudies to one across all interconnection cycles. Supporters such as Advanced Energy United and the Organization of MISO States said the measures are needed to clear the backlog and restore a one-year interconnection cycle, while preserving reliability reviews.
Utilities Ameren and Alliant Energy also urged approval, and RWE Americas backed the proposal while calling for further reforms to address cost reallocation risks. However, independent power producer Pathway Power protested, arguing that the higher threshold shifts financial risk to customers remaining in the queue and that the proposal was crafted by MISO and a limited set of stakeholders with only 10 days for comment.