ISO New England Inc. is a regional transmission organization that oversees the operation of the electricity transmission system, coordinates wholesale electricity markets, and manages power system planning for the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and most of Maine.
The pace of load growth has picked up across Eversource Energy’s service territories in the Northeast, the company said during its second-quarter earnings call.
Increased demand flexibility could significantly reduce production costs, capital costs, and transmission costs in New England by better-aligning load with generation and reducing peak loads, ISO-NE said.
Retiring ISO-NE CEO Gordon van Welie discussed the changes he helped oversee during his time at the RTO, including the rise of gas generation and major investments in transmission infrastructure.
ISO-NE’s capacity deficiency event demonstrated the significant benefits of solar resources, along with their limits in displacing fossil resources during peak load periods.
ISO-NE and stakeholders discussed market performance, capacity auction reforms, the RTO’s 2026 budget and asset condition spending at the summer meeting of the NEPOOL Participants Committee.
ISO-NE declared a capacity deficiency, implemented a Power Caution and took extra actions to maintain grid reliability during what may have been the highest peak load since 2013, driven by extreme heat and humidity.