%0 Generic
%A Joachim Seel
%A Joseph Rand
%A Will Gorman
%A Dev Millstein
%A Ryan H Wiser
%A Will Cotton
%A Nicholas DiSanti
%A Kevin Porter
%D 2022
%T Generator Interconnection Cost Analysis in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) territory
%8 10/2022
%X <p><span>Electric transmission system operators (ISOs, RTOs, or utilities) require new large generators seeking to connect to the grid to undergo a series of impact studies before they can be built. This process establishes what new transmission equipment or upgrades may be needed before a project can connect to the system and assigns the costs of that equipment.&nbsp;<span>Berkeley Lab has collected&nbsp;</span><span>interconnection cost data from interconnection studies for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), representing nearly 50% of all projects requesting&nbsp;interconnection from 2010 to 2020.&nbsp;</span><span><span style="color: #93c47d;">Project-level cost summary data are available for download on this page.</span></span></span></p><div><p>We find:</p><ul><li>Average interconnection costs have grown as the number of interconnection requests have escalated</li><li>Projects that have completed all required interconnection studies have the lowest cost compared to applicants still actively working through the interconnection process or those that have withdrawn.</li><li>Broader network upgrade costs are the primary driver of recent cost increase.</li><li>Potential interconnection costs for wind, storage, and solar are larger than for natural gas</li><li>Larger generators have greater interconnection costs in absolute terms, but economies of scale exist on a per kW basis.</li><li>Interconnection costs vary by location</li></ul><p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: open_sansregular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>Berkeley Lab will publish a series of short analytical papers of generator interconnection costs to the transmission system for MISO, PJM, SPP, ISO-NE and NYISO, which you can find at&nbsp;</span></span><a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/interconnection_costs" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://emp.lbl.gov/interconnection_costs&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1665003712713000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-grEFCS7EbJB5QFlprf7J">https://emp.lbl.gov/interconnection_costs</a>.&nbsp;</p></div>