MISO requires organizations to register as market participants before joining in our Open Access Transmission, Energy and Operating Reserve Markets. As market participants, companies are legal entities certified by MISO to submit bids to purchase energy, submit offers to supply or reserve energy, hold financial transmission [or auction revenue] rights and other market-related activities.
Learn more about joining the stakeholder community. If you are interested in participating in the MISO Generation Interconnection queue, you do not need to register as a Market Participant first. Please refer to the Generator Interconnection web page. If you would like to become a MISO member, please see eligibility.
Register to become a market participant through MISO’s secure Market Portal – please follow the subsequent steps before starting your application.
1. Ensure you meet the minimum credit participation requirements.
2. Obtain a Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number.
3. Register with OATI webRegistry.
This is a system of record for electric industry information. Registration requires a D-U-N-S Number.Your OATI webRegistry status must be 'approved' prior to beginning the next step.
4. Obtain a digital certificate.
MISO requires a client-side digital certificate from one of three MISO-trusted authorities:
Upon receipt of your certificate, please validate your DN string using the Certificate DN Tool. For more information, refer to the “Client Certificates and DN Strings” knowledge article.
5. Request to access the Online Registration Tool
Submit the request for system access form to MISO via the Help Center.
6. Use the Online Registration Tool
Access the online registration tool after your system access request form is processed. You must complete the online sections and submit legal documents based on your intended market activities.
The type of activities you identify in the application process determine your rights and obligations under the tariff, so please read the directions carefully.
7. Submit required legal documents via Help Center
The legal documents required for your organization are listed and available for download in the online registration tool. Download, obtain all signatures and submit your legal documents by creating a case in MISO’s Help Center.
Attach completed documents to your case, reference your entity code in the external description and send.
8. Credit approval
After applying and sharing necessary documents, MISO’s Credit Team ensures applicants meet all minimum credit requirements and have suitable collateral in place. For more about MISO's credit requirements for market participants, please visit one or both of the following:
9. Certification deadlines
Certification occurs after credit approval when the model is loaded, which is usually 7 business days prior to the effective model start date.
Certified market participants who qualify for supplemental registration initiatives must submit the necessary documentation corresponding to tariff schedule requirements. Both MPs (market participants) and non-MPs should submit any changes via the Help Center.
Reactive Supply and Voltage Control (Schedule 2)
Pursuant to FERC Order 182 FERC ¶ 61,033 issued on January 27, 2023, a proposal by the MISO Transmission Owners was accepted to eliminate all charges under Schedule 2 for the provision of reactive power within the standard power factor range effective December 1, 2022. Due to this Order compensation is no longer available under Schedule 2 and new requests will not be accepted. MISO is currently working to remove all necessary references to Schedule 2 and Qualified Generator from the Tariff, Business Practices Manuals, and Knowledge Articles.
Upon request and with FERC approval, MISO provides compensation to market participants with a qualified generator that provides reactive power and voltage control. If pertaining to you, see required documents:
Station Power Service (Schedule 20)
Market participants eligible to provide Station Power Service under Schedule 20 may register for service through On-Site Self-Supply, Remote Self-Supply, or Third-Party Supply. Required documents include:
Emergency Demand Response (Schedule 30)
Market Participants who have the capability to reduce load or operate back-up generation resources during emergency conditions can register those resources as Emergency Demand Response. Required documents include:
- EDR Certification Form (pdf)
- EDR Resource Registration Form (xlsx)
- ARC EDR Physical Location Worksheet (for ARCs only)
- Section_XX: Certificate Confirming Fulfillment of Requirements for Applicants Seeking to Participate as Aggregator of Retail Customers (for ARCs only)
Blackstart Service (Schedule 33)
Certified Market Participants may register a Blackstart Unit if you have received FERC approval and meet criteria established in Schedule 33. You must commit to a minimum term of a continuous 3-year period and your unit must be tested periodically in accordance with NERC System Restoration and Blackstart reliability standards. Required documents include:
The Commercial Model contains information used to identify assets, collection of asset ownership, and representative Market Participants. It also defines all of the locations where prices are established and used for business transactions in MISO markets.
Market Participants are responsible for maintaining their Commercial Model representation and must follow established Network and Commercial Model deadlines for all additions and changes.
For new Market Participants, all additions, changes, and transfers of Commercial Model assets require the following document, which must be attached to the MCR within the MISO Model Manager (MMM):
For an overview of changes that can be submitted into the Commercial Model, please see below. And, for a complete list of parameters associated with each type of Commercial Model resource, refer to BPM 010 - Network and Commercial Models, Attachment E.
Asset Owner
An Asset Owner can have any combination of generation and load but ownership of a physical asset is not required. Market Participants may add, transfer, or terminate its Asset Owner representation. Please attach the below document to the submitted MCR within the MISO Model Manager (MMM).
Generation
Market Participants may add or transfer resources capable of providing Generation. This includes generation resources, combined cycles, and external asynchronous resources. Market Participants may add or transfer a Commercial Pricing Node to represent the resource in the market. Please attach the below documents to the submitted MCR within the MISO Model Manager (MMM).
- Master Commercial Model Template
- Section XI: Generation Resource Certificate
- Section XIV: Scheduling Agent and/or MDMA Certificate (as applicable)
- Solar/Wind Template (as applicable)
Load Zone
A Load Zone is a collection of elemental pricing nodes (which will correspond to the CPNodes which represent Load Zones), and, are considered assets and must be assigned to an Asset Owner. The CPNode to EPNode relationship for these is typically one to many except for isolated municipal or industrial load assets that have only one elemental load point in the Network Model. Please attach the below documents to the submitted MCR within the MISO Model Manager (MMM).
* Note: Any request to create a Load Zone shall have approvals from the Local Balancing Authority.
- Master Commercial Model Template
- Section XII: Load Serving Entity or Load Relationship Certificate
- Section XIV: Scheduling Agent and/or MDMA Certificate (as applicable)
- Solar/Wind Template (as applicable)
Demand Response Type I
DRR Type I are typically customer programs such as industrial interruptible load programs, controlled appliance programs and other load reduction programs capable of providing a specific amount of Energy or Contingency Reserve into the MISO Market through physical load interruption. Market Participants may add or transfer a Commercial Pricing Node to represent the DRR Type I in the market. Please attach the below documents to the submitted MCR within the MISO Model Manager (MMM).
- Master Commercial Model Template
- Section XIX: Certification of Relationships for DRR's
- Sections XIV: Scheduling Agent and/or MDMA Certificate (as applicable)
Demand Response Type II
DRR Type II are typically behind the meter generators or highly controllable load processes capable of receiving electronic dispatch instructions to supply a range of Energy and/or Operating Reserves. Market Participants may add or transfer a Commercial Pricing Node to represent the DRR Type II in the market. Please attach the below documents to the submitted MCR within the MISO Model Manager (MMM).
- Master Commercial Model Template
- Section XIX: Certification of Relationships for DRR's
- Sections XIV: Scheduling Agent and/or MDMA Certificate (as applicable)
Dynamic Transfers
Dynamic Transfers are the provision of the real-time monitoring, telemetering, computer software, hardware, communications, engineering, energy accounting (including inadvertent interchange), and administration required to electronically move all or a portion of the real energy services associated with a generator or load out of one BA Area into another. As a dynamic transfer, a unit can elect to either create a dynamic interchange schedule or pseudo-tie into an attaining balancing authority. Both processes are explained in detail by reviewing BPM-030 – Dynamic Transfers: Pseudo-ties and Dynamic Interchange Schedules.
If you are an existing Market Participant, submit a Dynamic Transfer request through MISO’s Help Center.
Pseudo-Ties
A time-varying energy transfer that is updated in real time and included in the Actual Net Interchange (“NIA”) term in the same manner as a Tie-Line in the affected Balancing Authorities’ Reporting Area Control Error (“ACE”) equation (or alternate control processes).
- Pseudo-tie Implementation Process (BPM 30 Appendix A)
- Attachment FFF-1 – Agreement to pseudo-tie into MISO
- Attachment FFF-2 – Agreement to pseudo-tie out of MISO
Dynamic Interchange Schedule
A time-varying energy transfer that is updated in Real-time and included in the Scheduled Net Interchange (NIS) term in the same manner as an Interchange Schedule in the affected Balancing Authorities’ control ACE equations (or alternate control processes).
It is the responsibility of all certified market participants to ensure data is kept current and that any change(s) to such data is submitted to MISO according to any stated deadlines. Failure to notify MISO of a change in information within stated deadlines may result in the change not being implemented within the requested timeframe.
Both market and non-market participants will need to utilize the MISO Help Center to keep their data current. You are required to notify us of changes such as:
- Billing or banking Information
- Local Security Administrator information
- Commercial Model information
Submit this form using the MISO Help Center.
Please complete and sign this form to terminate your Certified Market Participant status. MISO must receive the request no later than five business days prior to the requested termination date.
You may reapply to become a Market Participant no earlier than one month after the effective date of termination, and only provided you are not in default of any obligation incurred under the tariff.