ISO-NE on Monday said it should have the resources necessary this summer to meet demand during average and above-average temperatures.

Under typical weather conditions, demand is expected to peak at 24,810 MW, according to the RTO’s 50-50 forecast. An extended heat wave could push demand up to 26,711 MW in the 90-10 forecast.

ISO-NE’s forecasts do not account for extreme conditions such as the Western heat waves and Texas winter storm during the past year. The RTO said it is working on ways to plan and prepare for those type of weather events.

“Events in other parts of the country have shown how quickly the unexpected can become reality,” ISO-NE COO Vamsi Chadalavada said. “Over the next several months, we’ll work with the New England states and stakeholders in the energy industry to discuss the challenges these types of events pose to the region.”

More than 31,000 MW of capacity are expected to be available, including generators using natural gas, nuclear, oil, coal, hydro, biomass and wind; demand response resources; imports from New York and Canada; and more than 2,600 MW of energy-efficiency measures.

The forecasts also include a reduction of more than 800 MW during the peak hour that can be expected from the region’s more than 209,000 behind-the-meter solar PV installations. New England has approximately 4,000 MW of solar PV installed, which produce their highest output in the early afternoon hours. The regional increase in solar power has pushed the peak hour of grid demand to later in the day, when production from solar PV systems is lower.

The RTO also continues to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on demand. As vaccination efforts have expanded during the last several months and New England states continue their reopening efforts, ISO-NE said demand is near normal, pre-pandemic levels after a slight decline.

Last summer’s demand peaked at 25,121 MW on July 27. The all-time record occurred Aug. 2, 2006, when demand reached 28,130 MW after a prolonged heat wave.