MISO Completes Largest-Ever Power Grid Integration

Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. (MISO), the regional transmission organization (RTO) for a large portion of the Midwestern U.S., completed the integration of a four-state region of the electric grid across the South into its existing footprint in the Midwest at midnight, Dec. 18.

The change in control, or cutover, was two years in the making, with extensive preparation necessary to complete the integration. The addition extends MISO’s operational and market footprints from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Manitoba, Canada (Figure 1).

1. MISO LMP Contour Map following integration of the South Region. Courtesy: MISO Inc.

With this expansion, MISO now manages 65,280 miles of transmission with total electric generation capacity of approximately 196 GW, making it one of the largest power grid operators in the world. This is expected to result in more efficient dispatch of resources across its service area.

The integration adds 10 new transmission-owning companies, six local balancing authorities, and 33 new market participants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri. In 2012, an independent industry analysis projected savings of $1.4 billion over a 10-year period from the expansion. The process also includes a new operations center, currently under construction in Little Rock, Ark.

“With this change, MISO’s new members across the South will begin to receive the broad array of benefits that our markets provide, including the cost savings realized from improved reliability and efficient commitment and dispatch,” said MISO president and CEO John Bear. “Collectively, we celebrate the successful integration and can begin to focus on the future–delivering reliability and economic benefits to millions more people.”

MISO was approved as the nation’s first RTO in 2001. The not-for-profit organization is headquartered in Carmel, Ind., with operations centers in Carmel and Eagan, Minn.

–Aaron Larson, associate editor (@AaronL_Power, @POWERmagazine)