MISO Advances 3.7 GW of Projects Under Accelerated Interconnection Review

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator on May 27 advanced a fourth round of projects under its Expedited Resource Addition Study, or ERAS, program, continuing efforts to speed new generation development as utilities confront rising electricity demand and tightening reserve margins across the Midwest and South. The latest cycle includes seven projects totaling about 3.7 gigawatts of proposed generation and storage resources, with projects expected to enter service by 2029.

The fourth cycle follows the grid operator’s third ERAS round announced in March, which included 15 projects totaling about 8 gigawatts of proposed capacity across the North, Central, and South regions. That portfolio was largely composed of natural gas generation and battery storage projects as utilities sought faster interconnection approvals to address reliability concerns and rising electricity demand.

The largest proposal in the latest cycle is Entergy Louisiana’s Richland Parish 3 and 4 project, designed to provide 1,531 megawatts of natural gas generation in Louisiana. Northern Indiana Public Service Company’s Malden combined-cycle facility would contribute another 859 megawatts in Indiana, while Hallador Power Company plans to redevelop the Merom Generating Station site into a 530-megawatt gas plant. The cycle also includes two 200-megawatt solar projects in Illinois, Alliant Energy’s proposed 150-megawatt Neenah Generating Station in Wisconsin, and NextEra Energy’s 230-megawatt Tradewater battery storage project in Kentucky.

MISO launched the expedited review framework in 2023 to shorten interconnection timelines for projects considered critical to reliability needs. Since the program began, the grid operator has accepted or validated 58 projects representing nearly 28 gigawatts of proposed capacity, including 25 projects totaling about 11 gigawatts that have advanced to completed generator interconnection agreements, while another 15 projects representing about 8 gigawatts are nearing completion.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the ERAS proposal in July 2025, authorizing the operator to process up to 15 projects per quarter and capping the program at 68 projects before it sunsets on Aug. 31, 2027.