FERC Approves Midwest ISO Transmission Cost Allocation Methodology

CARMEL, Ind., Dec. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — The joint application of the Midwest
ISO and its transmission owners to revise the cost allocation strategy for
large-scale upgrades to the transmission system was approved today by the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The approval clears a path for the
reliable and economic delivery of renewable energy required by many states.

Multi Value Projects (MVPs), transmission projects that have a regional impact
and are part of a regional plan, will now have a 100% regional allocation of
costs, ensuring that the cost to upgrade the transmission system is distributed
fairly to all involved.

“We were pleased to see our filing upheld by the FERC,” said Midwest ISO
President and Chief Executive Officer John R. Bear. “Months of hard work and
collaboration with stakeholders, regulatory agencies and others went into
developing a fair methodology that helps us maintain the electric grid’s
reliability while meeting our nation’s future energy needs.”

The approved proposal creates a new category of transmission projects called
Multi Value Projects, which are evaluated based on their benefits to the public.
It offers a functional approach to identifying which projects should be
classified as MVPs as those that have broad benefits to the membership. It
outlines three specific criteria that will be the basis of those evaluations,
and sets forth a specific process that will lead to the development of a robust
transmission system.

The two existing cost allocation methods for reliability and market efficiency
transmission upgrades, also known as RECB I and RECB II, remain largely in their
current form. New generation interconnection projects will continue to pay the
cost of their individual network upgrades, as they do under the current tariff.

“Cost allocation reform is one of the most difficult issues facing transmission
service providers and regional market operators,” FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff
said. “This bottom-up proposal was developed to help support the region’s
electricity needs, and it came to FERC through a 19-month stakeholder process
within the Midwest ISO. I commend the hard work of all the stakeholders, and in
particular all the state commissioners, in the region.”

As a next step, the Midwest ISO plans to submit to the FERC two additional
compliance filings relating to Multi Value Projects and congestion rights as
conditions to the approval of the proposal.

More information on value-added transmission planning is available on the
Midwest ISO’s website, www.midwestiso.org.

About Midwest ISO

The Midwest ISO ensures reliable operation of, and equal access to high-voltage
power lines in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. The Midwest
ISO manages one of the world’s largest energy markets, clearing nearly $23
billion in energy transactions annually. The Midwest ISO was approved as the
nation’s first regional transmission organization in 2001. The non-profit 501(C)
(4) organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors and is
headquartered in Carmel, Ind., with operations centers in Carmel and St. Paul,
Minn. Membership in the organization is voluntary.

SOURCE Midwest ISO