MISO Interconnection: Find Power, Navigate the Queue, Secure Your Site
MISO studies generators in annual cycles, with milestone payments rising at each decision point and a cap on how much enters each cycle. Explore MISO's interconnection process with our interactive step-by-step guide, then use LandGate’s capacity and parcel data to find the sites that can actually connect.
MISO Interconnection at a glance
Quick facts | MISO |
|---|---|
Who runs it | The Midcontinent ISO runs the grid and generator interconnection studies across the central U.S. FERC approves its rules, and large loads connect through transmission owners under state rules. |
Governing rules | MISO’s FERC-approved tariff (Attachment X) and Business Practices Manual 15 |
Generator study process | Annual Definitive Planning Phase (DPP) cycles, with three study phases, two decision points and an interconnection agreement negotiation. MISO targets about 505 days from Phase 1 kickoff to a signed agreement, though actual cycles have rarely hit that target. |
Queue cap | Since the 2025 cycle, each cycle is capped at 50% of each study region’s peak summer load. The East region’s cap was already met for the 2026 cycle as of June 2026. |
Current cycles | DPP-2025 was in Phase 1 as of April 2026. The DPP-2026 application deadline is January 15, 2027. |
Generator costs at application | A $7,600 non-refundable application fee, a study deposit of $50,000 to $640,000 depending on size, and a milestone payment of $8,000 per MW. Milestones rise to at least 20% of network upgrade costs after Phase 1 and 30% after Phase 2. |
Withdrawal penalties | None before Phase 1. After that, MISO keeps 10% of the first milestone at Decision Point 1, 35% at Decision Point 2, 75% in Phase 3 and 100% during agreement negotiation, with more at risk if the withdrawal raises other projects’ costs. |
Fast track | The Expedited Resource Addition Study (ERAS), for projects a state regulator verifies are needed. It targets an agreement about 90 days after kickoff, studies about 10 projects a quarter and ends August 31, 2027. |
Large load threshold | Proposed: more than 50 MW at a single site, for loads added after September 1, 2026. The definition is pending at FERC. |
How large loads connect | Through the local transmission owner. MISO plans the needed transmission through its annual expansion plan, often using expedited project review. |
Large-load rules status | Being built. MISO filed reliability requirements on August 28, 2026, asking for a December 4, 2026 start. FERC found MISO’s zero-injection proposal incomplete in October 2026, and MISO’s full response to FERC is due November 16, 2026. |
Peak demand, for scale | 121.5 GW on June 30, 2026, below the previous peak of 127.1 GW on July 20, 2011, as reported by MISO |
Last updated | October 28, 2026 |
MISO Generator Interconnection Process
Generator interconnection,
step-by-step
MISO studies generators in annual cycles, with three study phases and milestone payments that rise at each decision point. A cap limits how much enters each cycle in each region.
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Pre-screen points of interconnection. Use MISO’s information sessions, POI Tool and meetings with MISO and the transmission owner to vet sites.
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Check the fast track and queue cap. Projects a state regulator verifies are needed can use MISO’s expedited study, ERAS, through August 2027. Others should check MISO’s Queue Cap Tracker for room in their region.
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Apply by the cycle deadline. Submit technical data, a $7,600 fee, a study deposit, a milestone payment of $8,000 per MW and proof of site control.
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Phase 1 and Decision Point 1. After a preliminary study of about 140 days, developers pay their next milestone, at least 20% of upgrade costs, or withdraw.
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Phase 2 and Decision Point 2. After about 80 days of further study, developers bring their total milestones to 30% of upgrade costs to continue.
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Phase 3. MISO finalizes the study and upgrade costs over about 135 days.
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Sign the interconnection agreement. The developer and transmission owner negotiate the agreement over about 150 days, and MISO files it with FERC.
MISO Large Load Interconnection Process
Large Load interconnection,
step-by-step
Large loads in MISO connect through their transmission owner, with MISO’s role coming through transmission planning. Several new large-load rules are pending at FERC, so confirm current requirements with your transmission owner.
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Work with your transmission owner. The transmission owner that would serve the site is the starting point.
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Check whether it’s a large load. MISO’s proposed definition is more than 50 MW at a single site. Smaller loads follow the usual process.
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Transmission owner study and MISO review. The transmission owner studies the connection, and MISO reviews its reliability impact.
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Consider pairing new generation. MISO has proposed new options for data centers that bring their own generation, but neither is in effect yet.
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Meet MISO’s reliability requirements. MISO’s proposed rules cover data reporting, monitoring, ramp limits and ride-through, with a requested start of December 4, 2026.
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Transmission planning. Needed upgrades are approved through MISO’s annual transmission plan, often through expedited review.
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Sign agreements and energize. The customer signs its agreements with the transmission owner, and the load energizes once upgrades are in place.
What's changed recently in MISO interconnection
Last updated November 2026
MISO’s generator queue is running its first cycles under a regional cap, and its large-load rules are being built in response to a June 2026 FERC order, with several proposals pending at once. If your project is in MISO’s process or headed there, check which of these changes apply before your next deadline.
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April 2026: DPP-2025, the first cycle under MISO’s queue cap, was in Phase 1.
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June 2026: MISO’s Queue Cap Tracker showed the East region’s cap already met for the 2026 cycle.
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June 18, 2026: FERC found MISO’s tariff doesn’t clearly address how large loads apply for and are studied for transmission service, or flexible service for loads willing to limit their grid use.
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August 18, 2026: MISO filed a zero-injection interconnection agreement for generation that serves a load at the same substation.
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August 28, 2026: MISO filed reliability requirements for loads above 50 MW, covering data reporting, monitoring, ramp limits and ride-through, with a requested start of December 4, 2026.
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October 2026: FERC found MISO’s zero-injection filing incomplete, so it isn’t in effect.
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Coming up: The DPP-2026 application deadline on January 15, 2027; MISO’s full response to FERC on large loads, due November 16, 2026, covering transmission service options, cost protections and co-location; a FERC decision on the reliability requirements; and the end of the ERAS fast track on August 31, 2027.
How LandGate Helps with MISO Interconnection
In MISO, the first challenge is getting in. Each cycle is capped by region, and the East region’s cap filled for the 2026 cycle before the deadline. For large loads, MISO is building new options for data centers that bring their own generation. LandGate brings the data behind those decisions into one platform.
Get your projects on the grid faster with reliable transmission data.
Find capacity in regions with room
MISO caps each cycle at 50% of a region’s peak summer load, so where you apply matters as much as when. Once you know which regions still have room, search parcels by criteria such as distance to a substation and available offtake capacity, and see available transfer capacity at transmission-level injection points to find the strongest points of interconnection.
Size your risk before Decision Point 1
After Phase 1, staying in means paying at least 20% of network upgrade costs. Withdrawing later forfeits a growing share of your milestone payments. LandGate’s automated offtake capacity studies show substation details, capacity results, limiting elements, and queue information so you can estimate upgrade risks before MISO’s numbers arrive.
Plan generation and load together
MISO’s proposals would let data centers pair with generation at the same substation, or study large loads alongside their own generation. LandGate shows avilable transfer capacity at transmission-level injection points for generators and offtake capacity for loads at those same points, so you can evaluate both sides of a paired project at one site.
Secure the site and the tie line
MISO’s application requires site control for 100% of the generating facility and 50% of the tie line, so a project often depends on several landowners at once. LandGate pairs its grid data with proprietary landowner leads, nationwide ownership data, and a map-based CRM to help you find and seure the right parcels.
