Dive Summary:

• The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) might hold multi-period monthly auctions for financial transmission rights (FTR) starting in October, thanks to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order approved Friday.
• MISO currently holds monthly and annual FTR auctions, but market participants have pushed for multi-period monthly auctions for years. This new FTR protocol will allow market participants to hedge day-ahead transmission congestion risk for the balance of the current planning period.
• FERC overrode concerns of utilities such as Madison Gas and Electric and Wisconsin Public Power Inc. concerned that moving to a multi-period monthly auction would exacerbate FTR underfunding issues in MISO. But FERC said “we do not find a chronic pattern of underfunding of FTRs in MISO […] nor do we find a link between the frequency of the FTR auctions and the funding of FTRs."

From the article:
“MISO officials said at a July FTR task force meeting that they plan to hold the first multi-period monthly auction in October, which will include FTR periods covering November, December, January and February.”