MISO on Sept. 4 announced the first 10 projects to be evaluated under its new Expedited Resource Addition Study (ERAS) process, an innovative effort aimed at fast-tracking needed generation projects across the region.
The first 10 projects comprise five natural gas, three solar, one wind and one battery for a total installed capacity of approximately 5,300 MW. The projects have in-service dates ranging from January 2027 to August 2028. One of the 10 projects involves the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.
“The first 10 projects cover all three regions of MISO, stretching from Louisiana to Minnesota,” said Jennifer Curran, MISO’s Senior Vice President, Planning and Operations. “ERAS is a critical tool we can use to support reliability as we work toward long-term improvements in the interconnection process and each project must meet rigorous standards to make sure only necessary and feasible proposals move forward.”
To date, 47 projects representing more than 26,500 MW proposed new capacity have been submitted into ERAS.
MISO determined the first 10 projects being studied met all eligibility requirements and will now begin interconnection studies while continuing to evaluate for completeness the 37 remaining projects.
ERAS will study up to 10 projects per quarter, with a maximum of 68 projects before the program sunsets on Aug. 31, 2027.
“Collectively, the ERAS projects, MISO’s Long Range Transmission Plan (LRTP) and our approach to expedited transmission projects are critical for meeting load growth, spurring economic development and ensuring reliability for the 45 million people in our footprint,” added Curran. “MISO’s comprehensive approach of advancing LRTP Tranches 1 and 2.1 as well as ERAS allows us to meet our customer needs faster.”
