daily · Clean Energy

MISO asks FERC to approve a 120-day study process for large loads paired with new generation

MISO has asked FERC to approve a 120-day study process for loads over 200 MW built with new generation in the same zone, Utility Dive reports. It asks for a decision by December 2.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 5, 2026 · Updated 10/5/2026

MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, has asked federal regulators to approve a fast-track study process for large electricity users that build alongside new power generation, Utility Dive reported on October 5, 2026. The proposal is before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The process is called the Large Load Addition Resource Study, or LARS. Here is what Utility Dive reports about it: - It would run in 120 days and be offered to loads larger than 200 MW paired with new generation in the same local resource zone. - MISO has 10 local resource zones, and they generally line up with state boundaries. - MISO would study up to 10 LARS applications across three annual study periods. - Applicants face requirements meant to screen out speculative projects, including non-refundable deposits. - The generating plant's commercial operation date and the large load's in-service date must fall within three years of the application. - A load can start taking service in phases, but must take the full amount of transmission service it requested by the time the plant begins operating. - The generation and the load must stay paired for at least 15 years.

MISO asked FERC to decide by December 2 so it can open the first study period early in 2027. Utility Dive says the proposal follows a mid-June FERC finding that MISO's rules on large loads were inadequate, including for connecting nearby loads and generation to the grid.

MISO says the process will not affect generating projects already in its standard interconnection queue, and that it holds proposed load and generation to the same standards as its other interconnection processes.

Why it matters for ratepayers: the deposits and the 15-year pairing rule are aimed at keeping speculative large-load projects from crowding the process. This brief reports MISO's proposal only. FERC has not ruled on it, and we did not review the filing itself.

Official source: Utility Dive ↗