Relocating two offshore wind points of interconnection from Maine to Massachusetts could reduce New England’s transmission upgrade cost requirements, ISO-NE said.

ISO-NE is planning to study the effects of shifting two offshore wind points of interconnection from Maine to Massachusetts and conduct a preliminary analysis of offshore wind interconnection points across the region.

Increased electrification and reliance on solar and wind will make electricity supply and demand more weather-dependent, resulting in more variable winter peak loads.

The New England Transmission Owners released a draft asset condition forecast database for the ISO-NE Planning Advisory Committee and outlined updates to the asset condition project stakeholder review process.

Transmission upgrades that are needed to avoid overloads in a fully electrified New England by 2050 could cumulatively cost between $22 billion and $26 billion, ISO-NE told its Planning Advisory Committee.

ISO-NE expects system emissions to fall by nearly half by 2032 as gas generation declines, but projects coal and oil generation to increase to cover winter peak loads.

ISO-NE told its Planning Advisory Committee that decarbonization may require increased dispatchable generation, storage and capacity.

NESCOE pressed transmission owners to increase the transparency of their asset condition projects and incorporate them into ISO-NE’s planning process.

ISO-NE is studying line upgrades and new 345-kV and HVDC lines to address expected reliability violations in its 2050 Transmission Study.