Illustrative image (Source: Internet)
New England is expected to have enough resources to meet electric demand this winter, ISO New England, operator of the six-state region's power grid, said in a release on Wednesday.
ISO, however, warned that power system operations could become challenging if demand is higher than projected, the region loses a large generator, electricity imports are affected, or during periods of fuel delivery constraints like during the two-week cold snap last winter.
In those instances, the ISO said it may be required to implement emergency operating procedures to maintain reliability, including seeking imports from other regions and asking consumers to reduce consumption.
During last year's cold snap, the reliability of New England's electric system rested heavily on power plants that can burn oil because many units burning natural gas could not get the fuel they needed, ISO said.
Most consumers in New England use gas to heat their homes and most of the region's electricity usually comes from gas-fired power plants.
The region, however, lacks sufficient gas pipeline capacity to supply fuel for both heat and power generation on the coldest days, so many gas-fired plants have to burn oil when temperatures drop.
That is because the pipeline infrastructure has not kept up with growing demand for gas for homes and businesses and for power generation as coal and nuclear plants retire.
ISO warned that more than 4,500 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity may be at risk of not being able to get fuel needed on the coldest days. One megawatt can power about 1,000 U.S. homes.
To help ensure that more power plants are available this winter, ISO implemented a pay-for-performance capacity rule that rewards companies that keep their units available for service in times of power system stress and penalizes those that do not.
That means generators participating in the capacity program must ensure they have enough fuel available to run their plants when ISO calls on them to operate.
Of the total 34,415 MW of resources expected to be available to New England this winter, the ISO said 32,300 MW were operating under capacity supply obligations.
ISO forecast power demand would peak at 20,357 MW under normal weather conditions this winter or 21,057 MW if temperatures are extremely low.
That compares with last winter's peak of 20,631 MW on Jan. 5 and a record winter peak of 22,818 MW on Jan. 15, 2004.