Latest news with #ISO-NewEngland
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid rapidly evolving energy goals, Maine lawmakers seek more coordinated grid planning
An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by) Energy policy has moved quickly in the past few years as Maine has sought to achieve climate and affordability goals with deadlines that are not so far off. Rep. Gerry Runte (D-York) suspects there hasn't been sufficient time to take a 50,000-foot view to see how all the pieces of energy supply and demand could plan and work together. He's hoping the bipartisan bill he introduced during a public hearing Tuesday afternoon will formalize and increase collaboration between agencies involved in grid planning. 'I need to emphasize: the intent of this bill is not to interfere with the ongoing grid planning process,' Runte told the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. Rather, its purpose is 'to refine how it interacts with other initiatives and give it a bit of a tune up for future planning.' The grid is the system of transmission and distribution lines that bring electricity from where it is generated to the homes of ratepayers and other points of end use. Last summer, the Public Utilities Commission concluded its process of gathering input on priorities for grid plans. The largest privately owned utilities in the state, Central Maine Power and Versant Power, are required to submit their plans next January, Runte said. Meanwhile, the Governor's Energy Office completed the state's energy plan earlier this year that laid out pathways to achieve climate resilience and affordability goals. The portions of the plan that focused on electricity were based on a supply and demand forecast that considered reliability, emissions reductions, the role of emerging technologies and more, Runte explained. As Runte understands it, that forecast in the state's energy plan looked circuit by circuit to develop a bottom-up analysis. However, the forecasting model used in the Public Utility Commission's grid planning looks at capacity and load data from the regional grid, ISO-New England, taking a more top-down approach. Maine doubles down on commitment to address climate change with updated action plan Given the connection between the state's energy plan and future grid needs, Runte said he believes the agencies involved in grid planning should use the same load forecast. While LD 1726 calls for using the forecasting model in the state energy plan, Runte said he expects robust discussion on which of the two may be more appropriate. Public Advocate Heather Sanborn testified neither for nor against the bill, however, she raised concerns about limiting the forecast model over an uncertain amount of time because energy forecasting models are constantly evolving. The bill also seeks to ensure that future planning considers grid enhancing technologies at the energy distribution level that could improve efficiency and reliability. To do that, the proposal would have the Public Utilities Commission consider adding incentives for improved data and grid monitoring of power quality reliability, the state of infrastructure, as well as capacity. Runte's proposal also addresses the procurement of new energy sources. While the legislation covers multiple aspects of procurement, Runte said the bids for those new sources should be informed by the grid planning process to minimize the amount of new infrastructure. Another aspect of grid planning is energy demand management and non-wires alternatives — or projects that use alternative technology to avoid new investment in the transmission system. Currently, those two components are spread between three different agencies in Maine. Runte's bill would ask the Public Utilities Commission, the Office of Public Advocate and Efficiency Maine to assess how those aspects of planning are shared among them and report back to the Legislature on how the process could be improved. 'The idea of this bill is to strengthen governance by establishing formal linkages to activities that have a direct impact on or perhaps should be subject to the findings of a grid plan,' Runte told the committee. The Public Utilities Commission, as well as the Governor's Energy Office, also offered neutral testimony on the proposal. Though legislative liaison Caroline Colan said the Governor's Energy Office shares Runte's goal of enhancing coordination where feasible in grid planning processes, she said some parts of the bill could be overly prescriptive. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fuel rates, mandates, tariffs add punch to energy price stew
BOSTON (WWLP) – As Massachusetts Democrats predict price shocks from President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on Canadian oil and gas, a Republican senator on Tuesday blamed ballooning ratepayer costs on the state's clean energy mandates. During a virtual press conference with New England Republican lawmakers and conservative think tanks, Sen. Ryan Fattman of Sutton proudly noted he voted against the 2021 climate law directing Massachusetts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. 'We have to build out tremendous new infrastructure that's going to cost billions of dollars in order to transition to alternatives and away from clean-emission energy, like natural gas,' Fattman said. Paul Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, leaned into April Fools' Day as he urged ratepayers, 'Do not be fooled by what you hear from your State House politicians.' 'The reason why your bills are getting jacked up right now is not because of tariffs, not because of natural gas, not because of who occupies the White House,' Craney said. 'But it's because of these mandates, these green renewable mandates, these alternative energy mandates, which are driving up costs because we are funding the transition and it will continue to get worse.' Rising natural gas prices have stung Massachusetts ratepayers in recent winters. Regional grid operator ISO-New England last week reported that the average real-time wholesale electricity price was $126.40 per megawatt-hour in February 2025, up 301% compared to February 2024. After energy bills soared this winter, Gov. Maura Healey vowed to file a bill to rein in costs. Her administration's 'energy affordability agenda' also outlines strategies to expand discount programs for moderate-income customers, redirect clean energy infrastructure funding, and stabilize local energy supplies. The governor on Tuesday praised ISO-New England's first competitive solicitation for transmission investments, which her office said 'will address long-standing constraints on the New England power system and integrate new, affordable, onshore wind resources in the coming years.' Healey said the procurement 'will unlock affordable electricity for Massachusetts residents and businesses at a critical time.' Meanwhile, Healey has warned Trump's plan to impose a 10% tariff on petroleum and natural gas imports from Canada would cost Massachusetts $370 million annually. Trump is expected to announce his tariff plan Wednesday on so-called 'Liberation Day.' 'If the Republicans want to lower energy costs – the first thing they should do is oppose Donald Trump's tariffs on energy from Canada,' MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan said in a statement Tuesday. 'Donald Trump's tariffs will raise the costs of gas and oil by 20 cents per gallon, and cost Massachusetts ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The Republicans will never oppose these tariffs because the Republican Party is loyal to Donald Trump, not the people of Massachusetts.' Fattman, asked whether he supports Trump's planned tariffs, said, 'I'm not a big fan of tariffs in general.' He stressed he's focused on state-level climate policies that lawmakers can control. Fattman also criticized looming state regulations that will require manufacturers to sell lower-emissions engines, based on California's vehicle emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. 'I don't like tying my future to the state of California, which the commonwealth did,' Fattman said. 'Our Legislature did that. They have no ability to change tariffs. They have a big ability to change our standards for vehicles — for advanced clean technology in vehicles and heavy-duty operating.' In response to Tuesday's presser, the Acadia Center said high natural gas costs this winter stem from the New England region's 'untenable overreliance on fossil fuels, with rising energy burdens driven by natural gas infrastructure, generous utility profits, and the region's continued fossil fuel investments.' 'Right now, the region has almost all its eggs in the fossil fuel basket, and this offers only the false promise of fool's gold in protecting the region's consumers from rising energy bills,' the Acadia Center said. 'The region must double down on its climate and clean energy goals to make the broader northeast region energy independent from fossil fuels, reduce consumer price spikes, and mitigate the economic harms of worsening climate change.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Money from New England grid operator could be used to promote electric vehicle subsidies in Maine
Mar. 6—Maine could gain more than $2 million from New England's electricity grid operator to help pay for electric vehicle subsidies through a proposal in the state Legislature. The measure would allow Maine to use funding from one of several electricity markets operated by ISO-New England, the region's grid operator based in Massachusetts. It is part of a larger effort to expand the use of zero-emissions transportation. Businesses that buy and sell electricity and are accepted as bidders in ISO's marketplace auction can promote energy efficiency measures to help reduce demand for power. Efficiency Maine, the state's quasi-state agency that promotes energy efficiency, taps the ISO's market and other funding sources to offer rebates to buyers of electric heat pumps. Legislation sponsored by Democratic Sen. Henry Ingwersen of York would extend that to EVs. Funding for EV rebates has already been budgeted at $2 million and ISO-New England would provide another $2 million or more in a 50-50 split between EV and electric heat pump funding of $4 million to $5 million a year, Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine Trust, said Thursday. Efficiency Maine Trust had spent about $4.4 million before the program was suspended last November when funding was exhausted, he said. Since the start in 2019 of the EV rebate program, funding has come from settlements in a lawsuit with Volkswagen and the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line and a one-time appropriation from the state's general fund. Over the course of this program, Efficiency Maine says it has provided rebates for more than 6,000 vehicles. EV rebates are still available for low-income applicants with money from the NECEC settlement, Stoddard told members of the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee at a public hearing. Low-income Mainers — those who receive heating assistance; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, or food stamps; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; or MaineCare medical assistance — are eligible for EV incentives of between $2,500 and $7,500, depending on whether they're buying a battery EV, a plug-in hybrid EV or a used vehicle. If the legislation succeeds, Efficiency Maine Trust programs will increasingly focus on low- and moderate-income residents, businesses and government agencies that face barriers paying the higher upfront costs of EVs, Stoddard said. "The rebates really do make a difference," he said. The transportation sector accounts for about half of the carbon emissions in Maine, according to the state climate plan, and reaching emission reductions targets without expanding EV use will be a stretch, environmentalists say. Maine law requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and by at least 80% by 2050. Stoddard and Ingwersen said EVs can reduce electricity rates because the increased electricity use can spread fixed costs over a larger volume of sales, modestly reducing per kilowatt-hour rates. EVs, with fewer mechanical parts than gasoline-powered vehicles, are less costly to operate "and we are confident the marketplace is moving in this direction over the next decade," Stoddard said. "This is not a regulatory approach. This is not a stick," he said. "This is a carrot." Nearly 17,500 battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are on the road in Maine, according to an analysis by Atlas Public Policy. That's about 12% of the state's goal of putting 150,000 light-duty battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road in Maine by 2030. Maine's Climate plan says the state needs to more quickly increase the number of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, and improve public transportation and land use planning for new development that helps Mainers avoid or reduce driving. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In a first, New England governors push transmission boost to bring wind, hydro power through Maine
Mar. 6—The more populous southern New England states need electricity and northern Maine offers abundant opportunities to deliver wind energy from Aroostook County and hydropower from Canada. Tie the two together with a more than $1 billion transmission upgrade, and zero-carbon energy will flow without impediments to the rest of the region. And with the cost split among the six states, Mainers will reap tremendous benefits at a bargain. That's the first-of-its-kind pitch made by New England's governors to the region's grid operator. Together, the states want to solicit bids for transmission projects close to the Maine-New Hampshire line and Portland. One approach could involve building two lines — one from Pownal to Hampton, New Hampshire, and another from there to Haverhill, Massachusetts — but ideas about how to increase transmission capacity could vary and do not need to follow that specific route. "They see Maine as an entry point for NECEC and home for hydro, onshore wind and really, really, really long-term, a floating wind farm," said Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, referring to the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line being built in western Maine. "They look at Maine as one of the last areas of New England with a bottleneck, but has so much potential," he said. ISO-New England, the grid operator, is on board with the idea. Unlike the governors' request, past transmission upgrade projects have followed a "structured process," said a spokeswoman for ISO-New England. It issues regular studies that identify areas to replace aging infrastructure or meet higher demand, upgrade transmission capacity to reduce costs to consumers, and comply with state or federal transmission policies. GREENHOUSE GAS POLICIES DRIVE CHANGES More efficient transmission will be needed to carry electricity generated by wind and hydropower as Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont develop stricter rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Relieving future transmission bottlenecks — when demand for electricity outstrips capacity of the transmission system — between northern and southern New England and accommodating more clean energy in Maine are the two main objectives of the regional solicitation, said a spokesperson for ISO-New England. An ISO transmission study and others show that bottlenecks between Maine and southern New England will persist and only worsen over time, the governors said. Even relocating generation south of these transmission points did not ease electricity bottlenecks, they said last October. The upgrades are needed to avoid overloading transmission lines and transformers as residents increasingly rely on electricity to heat buildings and power vehicles and as offshore wind and other renewable energy sources far from homes and businesses produce more of the region's power. "There is broad interest in addressing these long-standing system challenges, and strengthening the transmission system in Maine is a reasonable, measured first step toward the region's needed transmission investment," the governors said. Dan Schwarting, manager of transmission planning at ISO, said it will issue a request for proposals in March or April and give transmission developers six months to respond. Twenty-seven qualified companies have been vetted financially and for their expertise to apply, he said. The intent is to create a "ready-to-go spot" to plug in transmission when it's built, Schwarting said. Projects should be completed by 2035 or as close as possible in case of supply chain problems. Schwarting said ISO and the governors' group won't know the cost until developers bring a proposal to the table. But a previous transmission study for a similar project pegged the cost in the billions. "It would not surprise me if it's that amount," he said. The states and grid operator hope the project will pay for itself with renewable energy, such as onshore wind, that would cut the use of costly and volatile fossil fuels such as natural gas, Schwarting said. MORE MEGAWATTS AND A NEW SUBSTATION The governors urged ISO to require the developer to increase the Maine-New Hampshire capacity to at least 3,000 megawatts, up from 2,200 MW, a 36% increase. And at another site, known as Surowiec-South, about 20 miles northeast of Portland, capacity should be increased to at least 3,200 MW from 2,800 MW, up 14%. In addition, bidders should show plans to build a substation in Pittsfield that can accommodate at least 1,200 MW of onshore wind. Companies may propose alternate sites that would be more efficient and cost-effective, according to the proposal. Afton Vigue, spokeswoman for the Governor's Energy Office, said in an emailed statement that Maine, working with the region's other governors, has advocated for "careful, regional solutions" to transmission congestion problems that leverage cost-sharing among neighboring states to reduce the costs paid by Maine ratepayers. Jason Marshall, deputy secretary and special counsel at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in Massachusetts, said "targeted investments" to relieve longstanding constraints in the region's system and unlocking affordable generation in Maine can provide broad benefits to Massachusetts and New England. "This includes greater energy independence, enhanced system reliability and increased competition in our energy markets that helps drive down costs to residents and businesses," he said. While state officials are looking to boost transmission, two of the three renewable power projects that would feed into new transmission are a long way from happening. Maine has been trying to stand up an offshore wind industry with a research array and commercial sites in the Gulf of Maine. The commercial sites in particular face strong headwinds from President Donald Trump, who opposes wind power and has halted further development. State regulators in 2023 rejected a proposed 100- to 140-mile transmission line that would bring power from a wind farm in Aroostook County and are seeking new proposals. Central Maine Power won a federal commitment of $425 million to build it. One project nearing completion is the 145-mile NECEC transmission line, which is expected to bring 1,200 MW of Canadian hydropower to the New England grid. More than 34% of construction is completed, and the project is expected to come online in 2026, Massachusetts officials said. A transmission upgrade is different from previous projects that fixed more narrowly drawn problems, such as reliability or economic development, Schwarting said. "This rolls them up into higher level view," he said. "This the first one beyond a 10-year horizon." Copy the Story Link
