Carmel, Ind.: Cheers went up in the MISO control room at midnight December 18 after more than two years of intensive planning and training led to the smooth integration of a four-state region of the electric grid across the South into MISO’s existing footprint in the Midwest. The change in control, or “cutover,” took place at the stroke of midnight as Wednesday passed into Thursday, and extends MISO’s operational and market footprints from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Manitoba.
In 2012, an independent industry analysis projected savings of $1.4 billion over a 10-year period as a result of the new members joining MISO. The study reinforced MISO’s core belief that a collective, region-wide approach to grid planning and management delivers the greatest benefits as evident through MISO’s Value Proposition.
In total, MISO now manages a combined footprint of 65,280 miles of transmission with total electric generation capacity throughout MISO of approximately 196,000 MW, making MISO one of the largest power grid operators in the world. This will result in more efficient dispatch of resources to meet energy demands across the region, as reflected in MISO’s one-of-a-kind LMP Contour Map that allows for a detailed visualization of real-time market conditions.
The integration added 10 new transmission owning companies, six local balancing authorities and 33 new market participants from Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri to MISO. This new region – referred to as MISO South – includes the following transmission owners and local balancing authorities: Entergy (Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Gulf States and New Orleans), Cleco Corporation, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana Energy and Power Authority, Louisiana Generating, South Mississippi Electric Power Association and East Texas Electric Cooperative.