New England's electric grid and winter 2017-18

New England's electricity grid is ready for reliable operations this winter, says the region's grid operator -- but special operating procedures might be required in the case of unexpected outages or fuel delivery constraints.

According to ISO New England Inc., the independent, not-for-profit regional transmission organization responsible for almost all of New England, supplies of electricity should be sufficient to meet regional consumer demand this winter. The grid operator projects a peak demand of 21,197 megawatts under normal winter temperatures (about 7 degrees Fahrenheit), or 21,895 megawatts of peak demand if extreme weather occurs (2 degrees F).

These projections are higher than last winter's actual peak demand (19,647 MW on December 15, 2016, during the hour from 5 to 6 p.m.), but lower than the region's all-time winter peak (22,818 MW, on January 15, 2004) or the record peak (28,180 MW on August 2, 2006). ISO-NE notes that total energy consumption and regional peak demand have remained flat in recent years "as a result of increased use of energy-efficiency measures and behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic (PV) systems."

The grid operator projects that it has commitments from enough power plants and demand-side resources to meet the forecast peak demand under both normal and extreme weather conditions. ISO-NE also points to its fifth seasonal Winter Reliability Program provides incentives for generators to stock up on oil or contract for liquefied natural gas, and also for demand-side resources committing to be available. As noted by the grid operator, the availability of generators with fuel has been a key reliability factor during recent cold winters, thanks in part to the past winter reliability programs. ISO-NE says its new capacity market performance incentive rules which take effect June 1, 2018 should eliminate the need for future special programs.

At the same time, the grid operator warns of its "continuing concern" over the availability of fuel for those power plants to generate electricity when needed. In a press release, ISO-NE noted, "The region’s natural gas delivery infrastructure has expanded only incrementally, while reliance on natural gas as the predominant fuel for both power generation and heating continues to grow." It observed that over 4,000 megawatts of natural-gas-fired generating capacity is at risk of not being able to get fuel when needed, due to natural gas pipeline constraints.

The grid operator also cites changes to the regional portfolio of generating resources, such as the May 2017 retirement of a 1,500 MW coal- and oil-fired power plant. According to ISO-NE, the Brayton Point power plant's closure "removed a facility with stored fuel that helped meet demand when natural gas plants were unavailable." The reliability benefits of stockpiled fuel and baseload power and related proposals are currently under examination by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The grid operator listed challenges that could affect power system operations such as "if demand is higher than projected, if the region loses a large generator, electricity imports are affected, or when natural gas pipeline constraints limit the fuel available to natural-gas-fired power plants," as well as the special operating procedures it would invoke in those circumstances.