New Englanders this summer won’t have to suffer through the same frayed nerves and rolling blackouts facing residents in California, New York and other areas of the country.
That’s the word from ISO New England, the not-for-profit operator of the region’s electric power grid. Despite forecasts for record demand, a report released late last month by Holyoke, Mass.-based ISO New England (Independent System Operator) says the region should have enough power to meet New England’s growing power needs.
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States in the region have successfully kept pace with the rising demand by building a number of new power plants in recent years, according to the report.
“New England does not face the supply problems that are at the root of the crisis in California, because of the addition of several new power plants throughout the New England region over the past two years,” said ISO New England Vice President of System Operations Stephen G. Whitely.
Since last June, the region’s grid has added 1,000 megawatts of new electric generation. Another 1,600 MW are expected to come online during the next few months, which would leave the region with a generating capacity of about 28,100 MW this summer.
That should be plenty to meet New England’s peak demand, which typically occurs on a hot, humid day between June and August. The record peak of 22,544 MW was reached July 6, 1999.
Based on historical weather data and electricity usage patterns, ISO New England’s projected peak for this summer is 23,650.
That cushion — about 4,500 MW between electric supply and expected demand — will serve as a built-in operating reserve, which would be available in case a power plant or transmission system went down.
Despite the bright outlook for the region’s power supply, ISO New England warns that mid- and large-sized commercial customers could be asked to temporarily curb electricity consumption during particularly hot, humid days. That conservation measure might be implemented this summer under a new energy management program aimed at trimming consumption during peak-use periods.
If reserve power levels fall below a certain level, ISO New England will issue media advisories asking the public to temporarily curtail electricity use. Requests could come in two forms:
- A “power watch,” which is a request to all customers to voluntarily cut back on electricity supplies.
- A “power warning,” which ISO New England says is a more urgent appeal issued when supplies are “extremely tight” and rolling blackouts are imminent. Customers would be asked to run air conditioners less frequently and wait until evening hours to do power-draining activities such as laundry.
ISO New England also has the ability to borrow supplies from other regional grids if supplies are running low.
