MISO-PJM IPSAC Meeting Summary 06/08/2026
1. Interregional Planning Background MISO-PJM IPSAC
MISO and PJM operate neighboring transmission systems, and many constraints near their shared seam affect both markets. Power flows do not stop at an RTO boundary. A constraint in one region can create congestion costs, reliability concerns or planning needs in the other. For this reason, MISO and PJM coordinate through the Interregional Planning Stakeholder Advisory Committee (IPSAC) and the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA).
The June 8, 2026 IPSAC meeting focused on three topics: the 2026 Targeted Market Efficiency Project (TMEP) study, FERC Order 1920 interregional compliance, and broader MISO-PJM interregional planning. These topics are important because they affect how the two RTOs identify congestion, evaluate upgrades, assign benefits, and coordinate future transmission planning.
The near-term issue is Market-to-Market congestion. MISO and PJM identified about $1.122 billion of congestion on Market-to-Market flowgates during 2024 and 2025. About $441 million was determined to be non-persistent or likely to be mitigated by future upgrades. The remaining roughly $681 million is being reviewed through the 2026 TMEP study.
2. 2026 TMEP Study Process
The TMEP study is the main near-term item from the meeting. TMEPs are targeted upgrades intended to reduce congestion on historically binding Market-to-Market flowgates. These are not large, long-lead regional transmission projects. They are practical, limited-scope upgrades that can be placed in service quickly and provide measurable congestion relief.
The study focuses on historically binding 2024 and 2025 Market-to-Market flowgates with more than $1 million of congestion. MISO and PJM posted 23 flowgate candidates for review. These include Burr Oak-Plymouth 138 kV, Cherry Valley-Silver Lake 345 kV, Kokomo-Tipton West 230 kV, Rising-Bondville 138 kV, and Sugar Creek-Dresser 345 kV.
Before an upgrade can move forward, the RTOs must confirm that the congestion is persistent and not already addressed. The study asks whether outages caused the congestion, whether it is expected to continue, whether planned upgrades solve the issue, and whether a practical TMEP-type solution exists.
2.1 Core Characteristics of the TMEP Study Process
The TMEP Study process is focused.
First, it is based on historical Market-to-Market congestion. This matters because the study is reviewing flowgates that have already created real congestion costs.
Second, it screens for persistence. If congestion was mainly caused by temporary outages or unusual operating conditions, the benefit of a new upgrade may be discounted or removed.
Third, it considers planned upgrades. If another approved project is already expected to relieve the constraint, a new TMEP solution may not be needed.
Fourth, it depends on facility-owner input to identify limiting equipment and practical upgrade options.
Finally, it must be a near-term solution: projects over $20 million are not eligible, and eligible projects must be in service by the third summer peak.
2.2 Key Objectives of the TMEP Study
The main objective is to reduce persistent congestion at the MISO-PJM seam in a cost-effective way.
The study also separates congestion that needs action from congestion that may be resolved by outages ending, operating changes, or planned upgrades.
Another objective is to identify upgrades that produce benefits quickly. TMEPs use the average congestion relieved over the prior two years, including Day-Ahead and Balancing Market congestion. Four years of benefits must fully cover installed capital cost.
Interregional cost allocation is based on congestion relief in each RTO, adjusted by Market-to-Market payments.
2.3 Relationship to FERC Order 1920
The meeting also covered FERC Order 1920 and Order 1920-A interregional compliance. Order 1920 pushes transmission providers toward long-term, forward-looking planning and requires neighboring regions to coordinate on interregional solutions.
MISO and PJM described the interregional requirements as incremental to existing JOA processes. They are not rebuilding the full framework; they plan to update governing documents, improve transparency, and align procedures with long-term regional planning.
The current interregional filing deadline is December 12, 2026. MISO and PJM may consider an extension to February 12, 2027 to align with SERTP, but both RTOs indicated that they intend to file earlier if prepared.
2.4 Implementation Timeline
The TMEP timeline is structured around completing the evaluation in 2026.
In June, MISO and PJM planned to complete their review of historical congestion, including outage impacts and planned upgrades. In July and August, the RTOs planned to work with facility owners to identify limiting equipment and potential upgrades. In September, they planned to complete the evaluation of possible upgrades. In November, the results are expected to move to joint review and a Joint RTO Planning Committee recommendation to the Boards.
For Order 1920 compliance, stakeholder engagement and redline review are expected in summer 2026, followed by PJM PC/TEAC and MISO PAC review in the fall. Filing preparation is expected in October and November.
2.5 TMEP Study Criteria
The TMEP criteria are strict by design.
A qualifying project must be tied to a historically binding Market-to-Market flowgate, address congestion expected to persist, be in service by the third summer peak, cost no more than $20 million, and show that four years of benefits cover installed capital cost.
These requirements keep the process focused on smaller upgrades with clear benefits. They also reduce the risk that TMEP becomes a substitute for larger regional or interregional planning processes.
2.6 What is IPSAC?
IPSAC is the stakeholder forum used by MISO and PJM to discuss interregional planning matters, including seam-related issues, proposed studies, planning assumptions, and process changes.
At this meeting, IPSAC was used to communicate the TMEP study, Order 1920 approach, and broader planning status. The next IPSAC meeting is scheduled for August 17, 2026.
2.7 What Next?
The next major TMEP step is coordination with facility owners to determine whether practical upgrades exist and whether they satisfy cost, benefit, and timing requirements.
For Order 1920, next steps include governing document drafting, stakeholder review, regional committee discussions, and filing preparation. MISO and PJM will also continue reviewing reliability, economic, and extreme weather benefit metrics.
3. Challenges with the Current Interregional Planning Framework
Several challenges remain.
First, TMEP eligibility is narrow. Some constraints may have significant congestion but still fail because the upgrade is too expensive, cannot be completed quickly enough, or does not produce enough measurable benefit.
Second, historical congestion can be difficult to interpret. Outages, planned upgrades, generation dispatch, load growth, and operating practices can all affect whether congestion will continue.
Third, MISO and PJM have different planning structures. A good interregional framework must respect those differences while still allowing joint projects to move forward.
Fourth, benefit metrics remain a work in progress. Reliability, economic, and extreme weather benefits must be clear, repeatable, and acceptable to both regions. Cost allocation will remain difficult because each RTO must be confident that its customers are paying for benefits they actually receive.
Overall, the June 8 IPSAC meeting shows that MISO and PJM are advancing immediate congestion relief and longer-term interregional planning reform. TMEP may address near-term Market-to-Market congestion, while Order 1920 and benefit framework updates may shape larger interregional projects.
If you are evaluating transmission constraints, interconnection risks, or congestion exposure near the MISO-PJM seam, ZEG can help assess how these developments may affect project economics, deliverability, and long-term transmission strategy. Contact our team to get started.
Explore more ISO/RTO Meeting Summaries from this month:
- ERCOT
- ERCOT Batch Zero Readiness 06/01/26 >> Read More
- ERCOT Batch Zero Readiness 06/11/26 >> Read More
- ERCOT IBRWG Meeting 06/15/26 >> Read More
- ERCOT RIWG Meeting 06/18/26 >> Read More
- ERCOT LLWG Meeting 06/19/26 >> Read More
- SPP
- SPP GIAG Meeting 06/19/26 >> Read More
- MISO
- MISO-PJM IPSAC Meeting 06/08/26 >> Read More
- MISO IPWG Meeting 06/09/26 >> Read More
- PJM
- PJM Planning Committee Meeting 06/02/26 >> Read More
- PJM IPS Meeting 06/29/26 >> Read More
- NYISO
- NYISO TPAS Meeting 06/25/26 >> Read More
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