NYISO presented its final locational minimum installed capacity requirements for the 2025/26 capability year during the Installed Capacity Working Group’s first meeting of 2025 on Jan. 7, with only slight differences from the previous CY. 

The LCRs, expressed as a percentage of the peak load forecast, represents the minimum capacity that New York’s generators and load-serving entities must maintain within each of the downstate zones, which have transmission constraints. 

Based on the 24.4% installed reserve margin approved by the New York State Reliability Council, NYISO determined the minimum capacity required for New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley to be 78.5%, 106.5% and 78.8%, respectively. For CY24/25, they were 80.4%, 105.3% and 81%, respectively, based on a 22% IRM. 

NYISO also presented updated informational capacity accreditation factors (iCAFs) for CY25/26. The final CAFs will be calculated and posted by March 1.  

The iCAF values generally were lower than the initial ones presented in early October. NYISO staff said this was because of an increase in the loss-of-load expectation (LOLE). The exception to this was solar, which generally saw an increase in value.