Natural gas at a premium in New England this winter: ISONE
More than 23% of New England’s natural gas-fired electricity generation could misfire this winter because of pipeline bottlenecks, according to regional power grid operator ISO New England (ISONE).
“New England’s natural-gas infrastructure was not designed to serve demand for natural gas for both heating and power generation, so on cold winter days, New England’s network of pipelines is near or at capacity for commercial and residential heating,” ISO New England said, in a statement.
The region has roughly 14,850 megawatts (MW) of gas-fired, electricity-generating capacity, and approximately 3,450 MW could be at risk this winter because of pipeline constraints, according to ISO New England, which is again launching a program encouraging power plants to purchase oil and liquefied natural gas to prepare for the coldest days.
ISO New England said its plans include “demand response,” which lowers electricity consumption, and anticipates that electrical supplies will be “sufficient” to meet demand this year, Kallanish Energy understands.
