The grid spanning the central U.S. should have adequate electric generation next summer, but the longer-term outlook is clouded with uncertainty, according to an analysis by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and state regulators.
The grid operator is facing a familiar challenge: Data centers and other large new sources of demand are making it harder to guarantee ample electricity generation as power companies close aging, centralized coal plants in favor of renewable resources and natural gas. The result is tightening supplies and rising reliability risks, especially during extreme weather events.
MISO, which spans a corridor of the central U.S. from the Gulf Coast into Canada, projects to have a surplus of generating capacity of 1.4 gigawatts to 6.4 GW during the summer of 2026. But the region could face a 1.4 GW deficit as soon as a year later, according to the survey of generators by the grid operator and the Organization of MISO States, a group of state regulators.
“The survey reinforces the importance of accelerating new resource additions and carefully managing retirements as demand continues to grow,” MISO CEO John Bear said in a statement.
