ISO New England Reports on Grid Status

neighboring regions , using power system reserves , and asking businesses and residents to voluntarily conserve electricity . Only in severe situations , if conservation efforts fail to balance electricity supply and demand , would controlled power outages be considered .

During prolonged periods of extreme cold , ISO New England anticipates that generators would use stored fuels like oil and LNG to operate around the clock . Conservation requests during these periods would aim to extend the fuel supplies until warmer weather or additional deliveries of fuel arrive .

Inventoried Energy Program in place This winter will mark the first year of the Inventoried Energy Program , a two-year program designed to provide incremental compensation to certain resources that maintain inventoried energy during cold periods when energy security is most stressed . ISO New England has seen strong participation in this program from resources entering the winter .

2023-2024 winter outlook by the numbers . Winter peak forecast : 20,269 MW under normal weather conditions ; 21,032 MW under below-average temperatures . Last winter ’ s demand peaked at 19,529 MW on February 3 , 2023 , when temperatures averaged 4 ° F . The all-time winter peak demand is 22,818 MW , set on January 15 , 2004 , during a cold snap . Resources with a Forward Capacity Market ( FCM ) capacity supply obligation to be available : 31,846 MW . Total resources , including both FCM obligations and capability without FCM obligations : 33,374 MW ( a generator ’ s maximum possible output may be greater than its FCM obligation ). All-time peak demand : 28,130 MW , on August 2 , 2006

Note : This information is reprinted from the ISO New England website . For more information , visit www . iso-ne . com / winter . l FON

Limiting demand on the bulk power system to a winter peak of 51 gigawatts ( GW ) in 2050 would significantly reduce the amount New England must spend on transmission upgrades over the next twoplus decades , according to a draft report released by ISO New England .

The report summarizes findings from

Cumulative costs to upgrade the transmission system could reach $ 17 billion to reliably serve a 51 GW peak in 2050 …

the ISO ’ s landmark 2050 Transmission Study . The results , driven by assumptions about the region ’ s future resource mix and demand for electricity provided by the New England states via the Energy Pathways to Deep Decarbonization study , offer an overview of the regional transmission system investment needed into the middle of the century to ensure reliability throughout the clean energy transition .

12 JANUARY 2024 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com