CARMEL, Ind. — The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, an independent, not-for-profit organization that delivers electric power across 15 U.S. states, including Michigan, and the Canadian province of Manitoba, approved the largest portfolio of transmission projects in the nation’s history.

The 488 projects span more than 5,000 miles across 15 states in the MISO footprint and include local reliability and growth projects, the Long Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) Tranche 2.1 portfolio of projects and the Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue (JTIQ) projects with Southwest Power Pool.  

ITC Michigan is still evaluating the projects. In the meantime –

When completed, these transmission lines will:

    • Increase transmission infrastructure to improve system reliability 
    • Enhance grid resilience to better withstand extreme weather
    • Expand access to generation resources for electric consumers by reducing transmission system congestion
    • Improve distribution of lower-cost energy resources, including renewables

“This was truly a significant effort that required coordination and collaboration with our stakeholders, our neighboring grid operators and MISO staff,” said MISO’s Chief Executive Officer John Bear. “The energy landscape is quickly transitioning, and we must work with urgency to implement the changes that ensure reliability today and in the future.”  

The 2024 MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP) includes the following: 

  • Local Reliability – 459 projects totaling 932 miles to support reliability in all 15 states across the MISO region. The $6.7B investment will improve infrastructure and meet load growth needs at the local level. 
  • LRTP Tranche 2.1 – 24 projects totaling 3,631 miles for regional projects in MISO’s Midwest subregion (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin) and includes a 765kV backbone. The $21.8 billion portfolio has a cost-to-benefit ratio of 1.8-3.5 with benefits potentially exceeding $72 billion.  
  • JTIQ – five projects totaling 490 miles to enable generation on the MISO/SPP seam (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota). The $1.6 billion investment will enable 28 GW of new generation.  

“While the work we do to study and recommend projects that strengthen local transmission is always important in annual MTEP planning cycles, the development of the Tranche 2.1 and JTIQ portfolios was history-making and game-changing work,” said Aubrey Johnson, MISO’s vice president of system and resource planning.  “The JTIQ Portfolio enables future generator interconnections that are needed on the SPP-MISO seam and LRTP Tranche 2.1, building off Tranche 1, provides a solid foundation for the grid for the next several decades.” 

Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that delivers safe, cost-effective electric power across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. 45 million people depend on MISO to generate and transmit the right amount of electricity every minute of every day. MISO is committed to reliable, nondiscriminatory operation of the bulk power transmission system and collaborating with all stakeholders to create cost-effective and innovative solutions for our changing industry. MISO operates one of the world’s largest energy markets with more than $40 billion in annual gross market energy transactions.