Where did New England's electricity come from in 2022?

Natural gas was the source of about 45 percent of the electricity consumed on the New England grid in 2022, according to regional wholesale market operator ISO New England, Inc., and nuclear power provided another 23 percent. Imported electricity accounted for about 14 percent. 

ISO-NE is the federally designated regional transmission organization responsible for the electric transmission system and wholesale electricity market covering nearly all of the New England region. It describes itself as "the independent, not-for-profit corporation responsible for keeping electricity flowing across the six New England states and ensuring that the region has reliable, competitively priced wholesale electricity today and into the future."

The grid operator periodically releases data on the portfolio of generating resources providing power to the wholesale market. Its most recent summary covers the 2022 calendar year. According to that summary of preliminary data, total production for the year (net energy for load, or NEL), amounted to 118,878 gigawatt-hours (GWh).

Of this total amount of electricity consumed from the New England electric grid in 2022, in-region electric generation accounted for 103,877 GWh in 2022, or about 87 percent. Imports from neighboring control areas like Quebec, New Brunswick, and New York accounted for about 14 percent. ISO-NE's analysis then deducts about 1 percent of NEL to account for electricity consumed in pumping water uphill for use in pumped storage generation facilities.

Focusing on in-region generation in 2022, ISO-NE's data shows the following resource contributions to net energy load:

In commentary, ISO-NE noted that solar power production increased by about a third from 2021 to 2022, reaching 3 percent of net energy for load, and nearly tying wind power; meanwhile, the grid operator noted that oil's contribution increased year over year, "reflecting rising prices for the region’s main energy fuel, natural gas, that made oil more economical at certain times of the year."