MISO said it no longer will recognize energy efficiency as a capacity resource beginning with the 2026/27 auction.

MISO said starting with the 2026/27 planning year, it will require its demand response resources to demonstrate actual demand reductions through tests to weed out imposters in the capacity market.

MISO said its next capacity auction in spring 2026 will feature more rigorous testing for its demand response that registers to provide capacity.

MISO is nearing an overhaul of its capacity accreditation methods for load-modifying resources and demand response that would be based on whether they can assist during periods of high system risk.

Voltus filed a complaint with FERC against MISO, alleging the RTO’s “11th-hour” changes in testing and contract proof requirements ahead of the spring capacity auctions will harm demand response resources and affect rates.

MISO hopes to mete out different reserve margin obligations to its load-serving entities as it sees bigger perils on the horizon.

MISO said it will finalize an availability-based accreditation for nearly 12 GW of load-modifying resources over the first quarter of 2025 ahead of a filing with FERC.

Load-serving entities that decide against participating in MISO’s capacity auction must secure anywhere from 1.5% to 4.2% beyond their reserve margin requirements in the 2025/26 planning year.

MISO members will likely have to add 343 GW of installed capacity by 2043 to meet policy goals while maintaining resource adequacy, the RTO said in preliminary results from its annual Regional Resource Assessment.