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HOLYOKE, Mass., Oct 20, 2005 -- BUSINESS WIRE
The Board of Directors of ISO New England Inc., the operator of the region's bulk power system and wholesale electricity markets, today approved the 2005 Regional System Plan (RSP05). The Plan identifies the requisite amount and type of additional electric generation and transmission infrastructure required to ensure a reliable and efficient supply of electricity in New England. RSP05 also specifies when and where enhancements to power system infrastructure are needed. -- New England requires 272 transmission infrastructure projects, including major 345-kilovolt projects throughout the system, particularly in southwest Connecticut (SWCT) and Boston. These projects, estimated to cost between $2 billion and $4 billion, will provide much needed operating flexibility to ensure a reliable supply of electricity throughout New England. -- Under high-demand conditions, ISO New England will need to call upon special operating procedures to maintain the region's power grid reliability. Without planned transmission infrastructure upgrades in SWCT and Boston, ISO New England will need to implement the special procedures even more frequently in these areas. -- As soon as 2008, the region will need additional electric generation capacity or greater participation in demand reduction programs to ensure reliability during periods of peak demand. -- New England should diversify the mix of fuels used to produce electricity. By winter 2006-2007, the region should convert 400 MW of natural gas-only generation to dual-fuel capability, i.e., the flexibility and storage capacity to burn oil as well as gas. An additional 250 megawatts (MW) per year should be converted through winter 2008-2009 and 500 MW more by winter 2009-2010. -- To enhance system reliability and efficiency, New England needs approximately 1,100 MW of incremental quick-start generation resources located in Boston and Connecticut, especially SWCT. "As New England's appetite for electricity continues to grow, ISO New England faces evolving challenges to ensure a reliable supply of electricity for all 14 million New Englanders," said Gordon van Welie, President and CEO of ISO New England Inc. For example, while the region's annual electricity usage normally peaks in the summer months, the Cold Snap of January 2004 demonstrated the vulnerability of the region's electricity supply caused by weather-related fuel constraints, especially natural gas, for electricity generation. Consequently, as RSP05 indicates, cold weather-induced natural gas supply, transmission and generation constraints spell longer-term electricity reliability concerns for winter as well. van Welie added, "As a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, ISO New England will implement a short-term action plan to encourage energy efficiency, conservation and use of dual fuel electricity generating units. RSP05 reinforces the need in the long term for fuel diversity, continued wholesale markets improvements and conservation." RSP05 is consistent with and expands on the purview of previous Regional Transmission Expansion Plans (RTEPs). Like RSP05, earlier RTEPs indicated the need for significant new generation, transmission and demand-side resources in New England within the 2008-2010 timeframe. In 2000 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) assigned ISO New England the responsibility for coordinating regional system planning. As a Regional Transmission Operator (RTO), ISO New England facilitates development of the annual regional system planning process through an open stakeholder process. RSP05 is the result of a yearlong collaborative process with industry stakeholders, including state regulators, transmission owners and other market participants, to develop a comprehensive system assessment and transmission planning analysis to define projects that address system reliability and improve system efficiency. SOURCE: ISO New England Inc. News Provided By |
