The average real-time price of wholesale power in New England fell by more than a third last year, according to the 2015 Annual Markets Report by the Internal Market Monitor of ISO-NE. Prices dropped more than $22/MWh to $41, as the average price of natural gas fell 41% to $4.73/MMBtu...

By William Opalka BOSTON — The New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable met for the 150th time on Wednesday to celebrate some successes and discuss ways to continue moving the nation to a low-carbon future. Tierney © RTO Insider The meeting has grown from the small group of stakeholders that met...

Perez-Arriaga © RTO Insider Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Ignacio Perez-Arriaga, said the university’s Utility of the Future study, scheduled for release in October, will have two major messages: “One is we have to reduce the barriers that impede an efficient and effective participation by distributed energy resources ... and all...

By William Opalka Electric and gas utilities tried to convince FERC at a technical conference last week that targeted release of natural gas capacity to generators would alleviate supply constraints and help lower prices. Other participants said the proposal is premature, ill-defined, discriminatory and interferes with the wholesale power market.

Electric Rates Drop to ‘Near Historic Lows’ The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority approved “near historic” low rates starting July 1 for the standard offers from the state’s two electric utilities, thanks to depressed natural gas prices. The standard rate for Eversource Energy customers will drop from the current 9.555 cents/kWh to...

By William Opalka The developers of an underwater transmission project that would deliver hydroelectric and wind power into New England filed for permits last week for the New York section of the project (16-T-0260). Anbaric Transmission and National Grid filed for a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need with...

CAISO Warns of Possible Summer Blackouts Because of Aliso Canyon The inactive Southern California Gas Aliso Canyon underground gas storage facility this summer could cause energy shortages and imperil electric reliability, according to CAISO and other agencies. The storage facility, which was shut down after leaking 100,000 metric tons of...

Model to Simulate Distributed Energy’s Impact Avangrid is working with the MIT Energy Initiative to create a model to simulate the integration of distributed energy resources into the grid. The model could support New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision plan by simulating how distributed resources, such as solar arrays and battery...

ISO-NE Launches 2016 Regional Electricity Outlook New England’s power grid is on course to becoming a hybrid system in the next decade, where up to 20% of its resources are provided by retail customers or by local distribution utilities, according to ISO-NE’s 2016 Regional Electricity Outlook. Among the report’s highlights:...

By William Opalka The Vermont Public Service Board on Tuesday approved a 1,000-MW transmission line to bring Canadian hydropower into New England, completing state and federal review of a project that could begin construction this year. The New England Clean Power Link, proposed in 2013 by a unit of the...