Interconnection queue guide · ISO-NE

ISO-NE interconnection queue

How ISO New England's first-ready, first-served cluster study works, when the next request window opens, and what the public record shows for New England requests.

GridVision AI ResearchPublished September 17, 2026Updated September 17, 2026

ISO-NE at a glance

Process: A first-ready, first-served cluster study process with a Commercial Readiness Deposit, implementing FERC Order No. 2023 (July 28, 2023) and Order No. 2023-A (March 21, 2024).
Next request window: Expected to open October 5, 2026 and close November 19, 2026. Requests must be complete within the window to be included.
Request types: Small generating facilities (20 MW or less) follow Schedule 23; large facilities (over 20 MW) follow Schedule 22.
Queue size: About 14,000 MW of new generating capacity proposed (13,966 MW as of January 2026).
Transitional Cluster: 26 requests (21 battery storage, two solar and three wind), with the first full cluster study opening in October 2026, as reported by the American Public Power Association in October 2025.

Sources: ISO New England, Order No. 2023 key project; ISO New England, Interconnection Process Guide; ISO New England, New England Power Grid Outlook, July 14, 2026; American Public Power Association (trade publication), “ISO New England Begins Transitional Cluster Study,” October 22, 2025.

Facts checked September 17, 2026.

How the ISO-NE process works

ISO New England's interconnection process guide sets out these steps:

01Prepare and submitObtain an ISO customer ID and access to critical energy infrastructure information, then submit a complete request in the cluster request window.
02ValidationISO New England validates the request.
03Customer engagement window and cluster study scoping meeting
04Cluster study
05Interconnection agreementNegotiated with ISO New England and the transmission owner; required before construction or operation.
06Final data submission and asset registration

The tariff schedules and ISO New England's current process documents govern any live project.

Sources: ISO New England, Interconnection Process Guide.

What the public record shows at ISO-NE points of interconnection

Across the 1 ISO-NE points of interconnection GridVision has published so far, the Berkeley Lab dataset records 12 interconnection requests filed between 2015 and 2018.

Outcomes of interconnection requests at the published ISO-NE points of interconnection
Outcome	Requests	Capacity (MW)
Reached commercial operation	0	0
Withdrew	12	2,003
Still active	0	0
Total	12	2,003

For the requests that were built, the median time from request to commercial operation was —. For those that withdrew, the median time from request to withdrawal was 1.4 years.

These 1 nodes are not a random sample of ISO-NE, and a pattern at one point of interconnection does not transfer to another. The dataset records what happened, not why.

Published ISO-NE point-of-interconnection retrospectives
Point of interconnection	State	Requests	Built	Withdrawn	Active
CMP Larrabee Road Station 345 kV	Maine	12	0	12	0

Market-wide: ISO-NE interconnection queue outcomes by year filed.

Questions to answer before advancing a ISO-NE queue position

Will the request be complete before the window closes, including site control and deposits?
Which study results will the Commercial Readiness Deposit at each stage be sized against?
What is forfeited if you withdraw at each stage, and which cost changes would allow withdrawal without penalty under the tariff?
Which unknowns could change the answer, who owns each one, and when will it be resolved?

Weighing whether to advance a ISO-NE queue position?

Bring the decision, and get back a management-ready decision record: what is verified, what is assumed, what is still unknown, and what to do next.

Bring One Live Decision

Sources

Facts checked September 17, 2026. Process rules and queue data change; the governing tariff, manuals and study documents control any live project.