January weather in New England was mild, but not a record

Winter has been slow to come to New England this year—we’re already six weeks into 2012 and much of the region has only seen a few inches of snow. But the mild weather last month didn’t set a record, though it came fairly close. In fact, January 2012 ranks as the seventh mildest January in the last 53 years, with the average temperature coming in at 31 degrees Fahrenheit. January 2006 holds the record for the mildest January in that same timeframe at 33.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the cold- and snow-averse it’s been enjoyable, but for others who welcome the winter weather it’s been much too long a wait. And while wintertime in New England has a different meaning to different people, to ISO New England it means gearing up for the second-highest electricity demand period of the year.

In New England, more than 350 generators provide approximately 32,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity to the grid. So far this winter season (2011/2012), demand peaked at 19,905 MW on January 4. Last winter, demand peaked at 21,053 MW on January 24, 2011, and the all-time winter peak of 22,818 MW was set on January 15, 2004. Even though we currently have "excess capacity" on the grid, a number of factors can come into play, especially in the winter months, which can make operating the system challenging.

Cold temps can affect the grid

As New Englanders, most of us have experienced the frustration of car and snowblower trouble in the extreme cold, and while it’s obvious that freezing temps can affect the operation of machinery, we often don’t think about the potential effects on one of the biggest machines on the planet—the power grid. Especially on the coldest days in the winter, it isn’t uncommon for some transmission and power plant equipment to be affected.

Additionally, our region depends on natural gas for more than half of the electricity produced, and at the same time, natural gas is the fuel used to heat many homes in New England. The just-in-time delivery of natural gas to power plants from the natural gas pipelines can make New England vulnerable to gas constraints and other infrastructure problems. Additionally, the loss of any significant natural gas supply may also hamper system operations because oil-fired plants cannot start up quickly enough to replace the sudden and unexpected loss of generation.

Coordination with the natural gas industry is key

ISO New England and the regional natural gas industry communicate frequently and coordinate operations to help maintain both gas and electric system reliability. The Electric/Gas Operations Committee (EGOC), a joint effort with the Northeast Gas Association (NGA) that began after the “Cold Snap” of January 2004, meets regularly to discuss common issues and share information on any situations that could potentially affect natural gas supplies or regional gas-fired generators. ISO system operators and the regional pipeline industry also communicate in real time as needed.

Procedures in place to maintain reliability

If the region experiences high electricity use and unexpected outages of power plants or major transmission lines, system operators can implement emergency operating procedures that include drawing upon reserves, requesting assistance from neighboring power grids, asking companies participating in demand-side resource programs to temporarily reduce electricity consumption, and asking the public to conserve electricity voluntarily.

In the event of extremely cold weather, the ISO system operators can implement the Cold Weather Event procedure that shifts the day-ahead electricity market bidding schedule to better align with the day-ahead gas nomination process. This shift helps give generators more time to secure their fuel supply.