What is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and why is it important?
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, is an independent, not-for-profit member-based organization responsible for operating the power grid across 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. 45 million people rely on MISO to provide the right amount of energy every minute of every day.
The MISO system provides a redundant supply of energy to our local system (MPW) and allows MPW to support the bulk electric system (BES) reliability. MISO’s role is to balance system energy flow and supply energy to each connection point at the lowest cost.
It’s important to note the price of energy is not the same at each point. This is driven by the cost of supply and demand along with transmission constraints and congestion. This system is very dynamic and pricing changes every five minutes.
An advantage of our local generation is we are connected to MISO at the same point we purchase power from. This works as a market price hedge. MPW can sell excess power into the wholesale market when the price is high or reduce generation and purchase power when market prices are low. This flexibility ensures MPW customers are supplied with reliable energy produced at the lowest cost.
Here’s a daily snapshot of what types of fuel mix is used to meet today’s energy demands within the MISO footprint.
