Graded Light and steady on how it connects a new large load. 15 states, 7 actions with sources, reviewed 10 October 2026.
Utilities handle large loads today; the 200 MW joint study (LARS) filed October 2, 2026 is undecided at FERC.
The April 28, 2026 auction cleared at $424.30 per MW-day, down from $666.50, with 92 percent of load covered outside the auction; no large-load charges exist.
No curtailment or capacity-matching obligation for large loads is in force.
Co-location is allowed with ordinary review; the 90-day zero-injection path filed August 18, 2026 is pending at FERC.
The June 4, 2026 OMS-MISO survey projects sufficient capacity for five years; MISO's July 20, 2026 report cites a potential 4.7 GW gap by 2028 that ERAS fills.
Scored on rules in force, 1 to 5. 5 is the most regulated. Pending rules set the arrow.
MISO has no public large load queue; proxy is MTEP26 large load additions via Expedited Project Review: 26.4 GW as of June 2, 2026 (8.6 GW approved, 17.8 GW proposed, 104 expedited projects), vs 9.7 GW in 2025 and 2.7 GW in 2024. Pre-study member submissions. MISO 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast (April 2026): coincident peak ~163 GW by 2035, up 35% from 121 GW in 2025; 8 to 14 GW of data centers expected online in 2026-2027; data centers ~one fifth of energy by 2030 psc.mo.gov Pace: Not found. MISO decks (MO PSC Aug 2026 status update, MGA Curran deck, LLWG) give MTEP EPR-supported large load additions (26.4 GW MTEP26) and an 8 to 14 GW 2026-27 expectation, not MW energized.
MISO says it has enough capacity today but needs new tools for large loads. Its 2026/2027 capacity auction cleared well below last year's record, and its April 2026 forecast has peak load rising from 121 GW to 163 GW by 2035. A temporary fast track for new power plants has taken 47 projects of nearly 28 GW, mostly gas. Two further proposals, a 90-day review for generation that serves a load at the same substation and a joint study of loads above 200 MW with new generation, are filed at FERC and undecided.
MISO asked FERC to rule by 19 October 2026 on changes to its legacy generation queue and by 2 December 2026 on the joint load and generation study, so the first study window can open in early 2027. Its broader response to the show-cause order is due in mid-November 2026, and the plant fast track closes on 31 August 2027.
MISO is graded Light and steady on how it connects a new large load: Two fast lanes for load paired with generation await FERC MISO says it has enough capacity today but needs new tools for large loads. Its 2026/2027 capacity auction cleared well below last year's record, and its April 2026 forecast has peak load rising from 121 GW to 163 GW by 2035. A temporary fast track for new power plants has taken 47 projects of nearly 28 GW, mostly gas. Two further proposals, a 90-day review for generation that serves a load at the same substation and a joint study of loads above 200 MW with new generation, are filed at FERC and undecided.
26.4 GW of large-load interconnection requests as of Jun 2026, of which 8.6 GW approved or contracted. MISO has no public large load queue; proxy is MTEP26 large load additions via Expedited Project Review: 26.4 GW as of June 2, 2026 (8.6 GW approved, 17.8 GW proposed, 104 expedited projects), vs 9.7 GW in 2025 and 2.7 GW in 2024. Pre-study member submissions.
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Each state page gives that state's own laws, incentives and local actions, which sit under the grid's connection rules.
12 of 15: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin.
MISO asked FERC to rule by 19 October 2026 on changes to its legacy generation queue and by 2 December 2026 on the joint load and generation study, so the first study window can open in early 2027. Its broader response to the show-cause order is due in mid-November 2026, and the plant fast track closes on 31 August 2027.
7 items: each is a law, order, tariff, ruling, utility action or local decision that changes what a data center must do, pay or disclose, or where it may be built. Failed and pending measures are marked. Each links to its source.
Filed at FERC on 2 October 2026. Loads above 200 MW paired with new generation in the same resource zone would be studied together in 120 days, with up to 10 applications in each of three study periods a year, non-refundable deposits, and the pairing locked for at least 15 years. Load and generator must both be in service within three years of applying. MISO asked for a decision by 2 December 2026.
Source: utilitydive.comMISO asked FERC on 21 September 2026 to approve changes to its last legacy queue process, covering about 71 GW of generation, and requested an order by 19 October 2026. At least one independent power producer has objected that the changes shift risk onto developers.
Source: mgrid.orgFiled at FERC on 18 August 2026. Generation that serves a large load at the same substation and voltage, is no larger than the load and needs no network upgrades beyond the substation would get a 90-day review. Utilities, Google and clean energy groups filed in support on 8 September; environmental groups asked FERC to send it back over cost-shift and reliability concerns. No ruling yet.
Source: utilitydive.comIn its 20 July 2026 report MISO told FERC it is resource adequate for now but that new large-load demand requires new tools, and pointed to the zero-injection and joint-study filings as its first responses. Its large load working group meets through November 2026.
Source: climatesolutionslaw.comA temporary fast track that can give a new power plant an interconnection agreement in months. It is capped at 68 projects and ends 31 August 2027. After the fourth cycle, announced 27 May 2026, 47 projects of nearly 28 GW had been accepted; gas was 83 percent of that cycle, and the largest project is Entergy Louisiana's 1,531 MW plant for Meta's data center.
Source: modoenergy.comResults of 28 April 2026: summer cleared at $424.30 per MW-day in zones 1 to 7 (down from $666.50 a year earlier) and at $384.10 to $412.10 in the southern zones; the annualized price in zones 1 to 7 is $126.19, down from about $217. All four seasons cleared above reserve targets. About 92 percent of load-serving entities secured their capacity outside the auction.
Source: enelnorthamerica.comMISO's April 2026 forecast has peak load rising from 121 GW in 2025 to 163 GW by 2035, a 35 percent increase, with 8 to 14 GW of data centers expected online in 2026 and 2027. MISO says faster resource additions are still needed.
Source: enelnorthamerica.comNeed the capacity sooner than the queue allows? Every unit in the register is held by Genloop, restored and re-warrantied, and can move on your timeline.
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