November 13, 2002—An annual transmission plan released today by ISO New England Inc., operator of the region’s bulk electric power system, finds that almost 900 million dollars in transmission upgrades may be needed to maintain power system reliability and improve wholesale electricity market efficiency. The findings are contained in ISO New England’s 2002 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP02), which is an annual engineering assessment of the region’s electric power system.
The study concludes that southwest Connecticut remains ISO New England’s number one area of concern, but transmission congestion also now exists in northwestern Vermont because of a lack of power plants in the area and inadequate transmission links. Proposed transmission projects in these two areas represent approximately $750 million in infrastructure investment.
In addition, electricity now being produced in Maine, southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island is periodically “locked in” because transmission lines are not sufficient enough to carry it to high demand areas.
According to President and CEO Gordon van Welie, more than 4,500 megawatts of new generation has been added to the region’s power system over the past three years, yet similar investment in the region’s transmission system has not occurred. “As a result, the region’s power system and wholesale power exchange are operating below optimum efficiency,” stated van Welie.
Other key findings include:
- Southwest Connecticut remains the most critical area of concern for New England’s bulk power system. This area lacks the required transmission infrastructure to provide adequate reliability to its electric customers. RTEP02 found that in spite of recent minor improvements, the existing transmission system in that region can neither provide for significant generation expansion nor fully utilize the area’s generating resources during times of need.
- Northwest Vermont faces reliability problems due to insufficient links with the main transmission system and the lack of power plants in the area. The condition is expected to worsen with continued load growth.
- As the result of transmission upgrades and new power plants in the Boston area, transmission congestion has largely been addressed for the next several years.
- Bottlenecks on the system prevent electricity produced at power plants in Maine and in the Southeastern Massachusetts-Rhode Island areas from being transported to high demand areas. Upgrades to the system are needed in order to alleviate these bottlenecks.
- Demand response programs can help to reduce forecasted congestion and improve the overall reliability of the transmission system throughout New England.
For more information, contact ISO New England at 413/535-4139.
