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One of the reasons New York would likely avoid the kind of statewide power outages recently seen in Texas is the state’s dual-fuel mandate, according to a top energy official.
“We’ve got the capability to run oil as a backstop,” Rich Dewey, president and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), said on Thursday.
Many of the problems in Texas’ outage stemmed from unwinterized gas pipelines that froze when a freakish cold snap and snowstorm hit the Lone Star State earlier in the month. As a result, gas-powered electricity generators simply couldn’t get the fuel needed to operate.
But in New York, gas plants are required to have backup oil supplies and the plants can be powered by natural gas or oil.
There already are constraints on gas supplies since there are only so many pipelines in the state, but plants can quickly switch to oil if they run short.
Additionally, NYISO, unlike a similar entity in Texas, is closely connected with neighboring states, which enables power to easily flow across borders.
NYISO coordinates electricity flow across the state and runs ongoing auctions in which power generators bid to sell power into the grid.
Every state or region has some organization to run their respective grids but Texas is unique in that it is largely disconnected from neighboring states.
New York, by contrast, works closely with a New England system operator as well as those New Jersey, Pennsylvania and in Canada.
Dewey said energy operators are still examining the precise circumstances and causes of the Texas outages, which have been blamed for at least 80 deaths so far.
Dewey’s remarks came during his annual State of the Grid speech in which he provided updates on the health of the state electric grid and some insights into future developments.
A major challenge going forward is to make sure the statewide grid of power lines and connections can provide reliable electricity as New York shifts from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
That’s in keeping with the state’s goal of cutting greenhouse gases 70 percent by 2030 and shifting to a carbon-free economy by 2040.
Reaching that goal will be difficult absent technological advances in power transmission and storage, Dewey said.
Storage, such as with large battery systems that are currently being explored, will be needed to help provide power when weather patterns slow wind turbines or cloudy days hinder production from solar panels.
Hitting the 2030 and 2040 targets, from a reliability standpoint will require “every tool in the tool kit,” he said.
The Texas storm wasn’t the only unexpected event to hit the energy world this year. The entire nation has been struggling with the COVID -19 pandemic and Dewey said many of their employees continue to work at home.
For those who work in NYISO’S control rooms, which include large digital maps of power flow in the state, they are alternating between their main facility and another nearby backup control center in order to cut down on contact between individuals who need to be onsite.