MISO has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to definitively rule on the joint operating agreement that governs transmission capacity sharing and management of congestion between MISO and Southwest Power Pool (SPP). The interpretation of the JOA section governing the sharing of the transmission capacity between the two RTOs is critical to the reliable and efficient operations of both RTOs and is also an important element in Entergy's potential choice of a RTO, a decision that is currently under consideration. MISO filed for this resolution only after several failed attempts to resolve this issue with SPP.

"While disappointed to have to ask for this FERC ruling, MISO thanks SPP for working jointly to attempt to resolve this matter and will continue their daily operational working relationship," said Wayne Schug, an executive director with MISO.

The disputed language, which appears in section 5.2 of the MISO-SPP JOA entitled "Sharing Contract Path Capacity," is virtually identical to similar provisions in the JOA in effect between the MISO and the PJM Interconnection (PJM). "The contract path capacity sharing provisions of the MISO-PJM JOA have been used extensively and successfully to manage physical flows at the seam between MISO and PJM. In fact, PJM's integration of the Chicago-based Exelon facilities would not have been possible without the coordination called for under this section," said Mr. Schug.

"We know MISO will provide enormous benefit to the Entergy region even if our interpretation is incorrect," said Schug. "We look forward to resolving this issue in order to remove any uncertainty that may have been created by the disputed interpretation. Our goal is to place Entergy, its regulators and its customers in position to make a fully informed decision on which RTO will provide the greatest value." MISO annually works with its stakeholders to quantify the benefits that customers in its region receive in the annual MISO Value Proposition. The calculations are based on actual results of the daily market operations in the MISO footprint.