ISO / RTO Profile
MISO
Midcontinent Independent System Operator · All or parts of 15 central/southern U.S. states + Manitoba, Canada
Bottom line
Aggressive reform and automation pushing toward a 1-year queue, but large-load process (EPR) is less defined than SPP's and load interconnection costs are inconsistent across a huge multi-state footprint.
Author analysis. Review against primary sources before relying on this for project decisions.
Verified facts and placeholders
Facts- Total queue MW
- 353,000 MWas of 2026-06-17
- Total queue projects
- 1,696as of 2026-06-17
- Avg interconnection wait
- 4 yearsas of 2026-06-17
- Large-load queue MW
- Not disclosed
- Queue status
- reform-in-progress
- Large-load posture
- Developing
- Generation queue notes
- ~309 GW in the interconnection queue per FERC (vs. ~127 GW peak load), ~1,600+ active requests spanning cycles back to 2019; ~70% of capacity in older cycles was ultimately withdrawn. FERC approved a Generator Interconnection Queue Cap (50% of regional non-coincident peak per cycle). Targeting ~1-year processing via automation and reforms. Expedited Resource Addition Study (ERAS) fast-tracks reliability-critical resources (~27 GW across 53 requests as of spring 2026); MISO intends to sunset ERAS by end of 2028. JTIQ portfolio with SPP enables ~28.6 GW along the seam.
- Large-load posture rationale
- MISO does not publish a single consolidated large-load queue total. Its ERAS fast-track review drew about 26.6 GW of proposals, mostly gas, to serve emerging large loads. Large-load additions route through ERAS and Expedited Project Review rather than one queue figure. April 2026 EPR materials show 19 April-cycle requests representing 5,457+ MW of new load additions and 59 approved EPRs for MTEP26 as of Apr. 2, 2026. Less standardized than SPP’s HILL framework.
Analyst read
Editorial analysis- Tier
- Mixed
- Rationale
- Aggressive reform and automation pushing toward a 1-year queue, but large-load process (EPR) is less defined than SPP's and load interconnection costs are inconsistent across a huge multi-state footprint.
- What's working
- ERAS fast-track issues agreements in ~3 months for critical resources.
- Automation and reforms targeting a ~1-year generation queue.
- What's working against
- Large-load EPR activity is material, but the pathway is less standardized and less transparent than SPP’s HILL framework.
- Vast 15-state footprint means highly variable local conditions.
- One thing to watch
- Whether MISO formalizes its EPR large-load process into something closer to SPP's HILL clarity.
- Analyst note
- MISO is reforming hard on the generation side and the ERAS fast-track is genuinely useful, but for large loads it is the least legible of the central markets right now. Developers should expect to do real homework on local cost allocation before committing.
Major announced projects in this market
Exhibit 2 · supporting- Meta Lebanon Campus (LEAP District)Data Center · Under Construction · Lebanon, IN1,000 MWCOD Late 2027 to early 2028
- Microsoft Mount Pleasant (Foxconn site)Data Center · Under Construction · Mount Pleasant, WI900 MWCOD Phased; Phase 1 ~400-450 MW; build-out approaching ~900 MW; projected up to ~3,300 MW by late 2027 across four buildings
- Meta HyperionData Center · Under Construction · Holly Ridge / Rayville, LA5,000 MWCOD Phased through the late 2020s
- Stargate Lighthouse (Vantage, Port Washington)Data Center · Permitting · Port Washington, WI900 MWCOD Not confirmed
Recent reforms
Source-backed- 2025-12Second ERAS cycle
MISO announced its second Expedited Resource Addition Study cycle (~6.1 GW), primarily battery and gas, to fast-track reliability-critical generation.
Source - 2024-12JTIQ portfolio approved
Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue portfolio with SPP approved, enabling ~28.6 GW of generation to interconnect along the MISO-SPP seam.
Source
Upcoming milestones
Source-backed- 2026-03
Sources & last updated
Provenance- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
- Source registry
- S&P Global: MISO 1-year queue targetPulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: generationQueueNotes, avgInterconnectionWaitYearshttps://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/022525-miso-on-path-to-reduce-queue-process-to-one-year-with-reforms-technology-executive
- DWGP: MISO/SPP fast-track processesPulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: recentReforms, upcomingMilestoneshttps://dwgp.com/firm-announcements/miso-and-spp-move-forward-with-fast-track-interconnection-study-processes
- MISO Generator Interconnection pagePulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: generationQueueNotes, recentReformshttps://www.misoenergy.org/planning/resource-utilization/generator-interconnection/
- MISO EPR Process ImprovementPulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: largeLoadPostureRationalehttps://www.misoenergy.org/engage/MISO-Dashboard/expedited-project-review-epr-process-improvement/
- MISO EPR Statistics Update Apr. 2026Pulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: largeLoadPostureRationalehttps://cdn.misoenergy.org/20260407%20EPR-TSTF%20Item%2003%20MISO%20EPR%20Statistics_UPDATED%204.3.26749106.pdf
- Utility Dive: FERC approves MISO queue cap (309 GW)Pulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: totalQueueMW, generationQueueNoteshttps://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-miso-interconnection-queue-cap/739002/
- Utility Dive: MISO ERAS / 1,603 active requestsPulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: totalQueueProjects, generationQueueNoteshttps://www.utilitydive.com/news/miso-eras-speed-generation-interconnection/743057/
- ZEG: MISO IPWG Apr 2026 (ERAS ~27 GW / 53 requests)Pulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: generationQueueNoteshttps://www.zeroemissiongrid.com/iso-rto-meeting-summaries/miso-ipwg-04-26/
- interconnection.fyi: live US ISO/utility queue dataPulled 2026-06-17 · Supports: totalQueueMW, totalQueueProjectshttps://www.interconnection.fyi