The Organization of MISO States and the Midcontinent ISO have released the results of the 2026 OMS-MISO Survey, which shows that states and utilities across the region are planning record levels of resource additions over the next five years.
Member utilities expect to add an average of 15 GW of new accredited summer capacity each year -- a pace that will help support the region’s growing power needs as demand continues to rise, they said.
“The survey results reflect both the scale of the challenge facing the region and the progress being made to meet it," said Michael Carrigan, President of the Organization of MISO States and Commissioner on the Illinois Commerce Commission. "Utilities are planning substantial additions of new generation and storage resources, and states remain committed to working with MISO and stakeholders to ensure the region has the tools, information and market structures needed to support reliability in the years ahead.”
Natural gas accounts for the largest share of planned additions, with strong growth also expected in solar, battery storage and wind. About 4 GW per year of these planned additions are expected to move through MISO’s Expedited Resource Adequacy Study (ERAS) process, a faster grid interconnection process designed to help bring critically needed projects online more quickly.
This rapid buildout comes as load growth across the MISO region continues to accelerate, with member reported forecasts and load addition requests indicating a five-year compound annual growth rate of 3.1% to 5.1%.
“MISO, our state commissions and our member utilities are taking meaningful steps to stay ahead of the rapid changes unfolding across the electric system,” said John Bear, President and CEO of MISO. “The 2026 OMS-MISO Survey shows that our region is adding resources at an accelerated pace, even as load grows faster than we’ve seen in decades. The insights from this survey help ensure we are all making informed, collaborative decisions to maintain reliability for the communities we serve.”
The survey also notes a continued shift in seasonal reliability risk from summer to winter as the region’s resource mix evolves. To address this, MISO is updating its accreditation methods to better reflect when resources provide the most value. Beginning in Planning Year 2028/29, MISO will implement accreditation reforms using a Direct Loss of Load (DLOL) methodology, which more accurately measures how resources perform during the highest risk periods.
The OMS-MISO survey assesses anticipated generating capacity over a five-year planning horizon (2027/28 through 2031/32). The survey’s results, along with MISO’s Planning Resource Auction and Futures analyses, provide a comprehensive view of system risks and resource needs, supporting states in their resource adequacy responsibilities and members in their resource planning, MISO and OMS said.
MISO will host a stakeholder workshop to review the 2026 OMS-MISO Survey results on Thursday, June 4, at 10 a.m. EDT.
The Organization of MISO States Inc. is a non-profit, self-governing organization of representatives from each state with regulatory jurisdiction over entities participating in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator.
The purpose of the OMS is to coordinate regulatory oversight among the states, including recommendations to MISO, the MISO Board of Directors, the FERC, other relevant government entities and state commissions as appropriate.
