Utility confident region should have enough power for winter

Officials caution extreme cold stretch could cause trouble

Concord, N.H. — There should be plenty of power this winter across New England, though the company that manages the electric grid says an extreme cold snap could pose some challenges.

In its winter forecast, ISO New England said this past week that consumer demand across the region is expected to peak at 20,357 megawatts (MW) under normal weather conditions or 21,057 MW at extreme temperatures.

But pointing to last winter’s two-week cold snap, the company didn’t rule out some bumps along the way. Should there be a scenario in which the region loses a large generator, electricity imports are affected or fuel deliveries are disrupted, the company could be forced to put in place emergency procedures. It would consider importing power from neighboring regions and asking consumers and business to voluntarily conserve energy.

The company also said that the run of brutally cold weather around the Christmas holidays in 2017 has prompted them to institute changes that ensure they are better prepared. The company has introduced a new system that forecasts energy supplies for the next 21 days and one that ensures limited fuel supplies are used when “they are most valuable for system reliability and cost-effectiveness.” It also rolled out a program this year that rewards power providers who improve their reliability during times of energy scarcity.

“Last winter demonstrated just how much the weather can impact power system operations, not just in terms of consumer demand for electricity, but in the ability of generators to access fuel,” Peter Brandien, ISO New England’s vice president for system operations, said. “The ISO has learned lessons from this experience, and made near-term improvements to help address these energy security concerns.”

In Maine, the director of the governor’s energy office said she’s keeping a keen eye on the grid after last winter’s supply problems.

“After last winter, we’re watching it pretty closely,” Angela Monroe said from Augusta, Maine. “Last year was a record-breaking cold snap. We’re hoping that we don’t have a repeat of that.”

During the unexpected cold snap much of the natural gas that powers generating plants was diverted to heating homes, and electricity providers had to turn to old, coal and oilfired power plants, which were burning fuel at rates that led officials to fear the fuel tanks could run dry. During a regular year, New England providers use about 1 million barrels of oil to make electricity. During the two-week cold snap they burned 2 million barrels.

The National Weather Service said the cold snap began Dec. 26 and lasted through Jan. 7 with temperatures in places like Vermont about 20 degrees lower than normal.