Photo: Courtesy of ISO New England
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After weeks of data analysis, forecasters at ISO New England have deemed the region's power grid strong enough to withstand the upcoming winter.
ISO New England, which operates the region's electrical grid, released its final estimates last week. Spokesman Randy Burlingame said forecasters compiled the report based on how much demand the grid saw during past winters.
"And they compare that to what we have available for generation resources, what might be available for imports, and they take a look at potential retirements of generating resources as well," Burlingame said.
Burlingame said "about 50 percent of our resource mix" is composed of natural gas. Nuclear power makes up about 25 percent of the supply and a mix of renewable energy sources comprise the rest.
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ISO New England also based the report on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's winter forecast, which projects temperatures slightly higher than average and normal precipitation.
Although the data suggests the electrical grid should be able to keep up no matter what winter has in store, ISO New England said it will keep tabs on the power supply as the season progresses in 21-day energy forecasts published weekly throughout the winter. ISO New England is also maintaining a real-time dashboard with data about the grid.
WBZ NewsRadio's Nichole Davis (NicholeDWBZ) reports.