Potential for Outages in the New England Grid
A Communication from Eversource
The following communication was received from Eversource, which the Board of Selectmen felt was appropriate to share with the entire community as the decision by ISO-NE to implement emergency actions, up-to and including rotating power outages, will affect all residents regardless of who your supplier is.
ISO-New England, operator of the region’s electric transmission grid, has warned that severe and prolonged cold weather could cause an electricity shortage that might require calls for conservation. As a last resort, utilities could be required to implement controlled, rotating outages, possibly affecting both electric and natural gas service. ISO-New England has authority to require electric utilities to accommodate these outages to safeguard the stability of the power grid.
This unlikely situation would be very different from a typical winter storm response. Eversource wants our partners in municipal government to understand plans and preparations – and what steps our communities should take to prepare for an energy emergency.
An information webinar was held on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, discussing:- The conditions that make this a remote but real possibility
- The steps ISO-New England, as well as Eversource, would take to manage and communicate in an energy emergency
- How utility service in your community would be affected
- What Eversource can and can’t do during an energy emergency
- Steps your community should take to be prepared
