Power Council: U.S. Northeast Safe on T&D for Summer... Mostly

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

There's a small chance that New York, New England and Atlantic Canada will need to rely on special operating procedures to keep their power grid up and running over the summer, which is expected to be hotter than usual, according to a regional energy organization.

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Powering Up the Big Apple

On Thursday, the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC)--which ensures the reliability of the power grid across New England, New York, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada--released a report indicating its region will have enough transmission and distribution (T&D) supply to meet the most likely weather scenarios projected for the summer months. But there's a small chance the U.S. and Atlantic Canadian areas will have to rely on special operating procedures, should severe peak load levels occur. Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $21 billion worth of active and proposed T&D projects across this area.

"Assuming low likelihood of reduced resource conditions for the higher peak load levels, the results indicate a risk of Loss of Load Expectation (LOLE) during the summer months for New York and New England," the report said. "These higher peak load conditions represent a combined probability of approximately 7%, highlighting potential risks under rare but severe system stress events."

One of the most widely anticipated T&D projects in the region, Hydro-Quebec's Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), recently began providing more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of hydro-generated power to the New York City area. The State of New York dubbed the high-voltage, direct-current (HVDC) line--which runs 333 miles underground and underwater--"the most powerful project you'll never see."

According to Industrial Info Resources data, more than $3 billion worth of development associated with the CHPE is completed or under construction. Industrial Info Resources offers more information on CHPE in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database, where readers can find details--including construction schedules, investment values and necessary equipment--in a report on the mainline and a full list of related project reports.

The NPCC assessment also expressed confidence that New York State would be able to meet peak demand "without the need to resort to emergency operations." However, it noted that New York City, particularly the Far Rockaway area of Long Island, "has reliability needs in summer 2026 which are being addressed through the Short-Term Reliability Process," which is a method used by grid operators to address immediate vulnerabilities in the power grid.

PSEG Long Island, a regional division of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG), is developing the 100-mile Sunrise Interconnection line, which will supply energy generated at the Sunrise Offshore Windfarm to Long Island. The underwater line will connect to the town of Port Jefferson and run six miles aboveground to a converter station, which is toward the east-central area of the island.

Readers can learn more about the Sunrise development from detailed project reports on the interconnection line, windfarm and onshore converter station.

By the Numbers

• More than $21 billion: Total value of active and proposed T&D projects across the NPCC region
• About 7%: Likelihood of higher peak load conditions causing "severe system stress" in the region, according to the NPCC
• More than $3 billion: Total value of developments associated with the CHPE that are completed or under construction

Overground, Underground, All Around

Among the major T&D projects set to provide energy to New England in the coming year is Eversource Energy's Greater Cambridge Energy Project (GCEP), which is designed to bolster capacity in the Boston-Cambridge area of Massachusetts through the "undergrounding" of lines and substations. Eversource started construction on the 8.3-mile system early last year; one of its most unique aspects is the Kendall Square Underground Substation in Cambridge, from which eight lines will connect to various points in the two cities.

Developers expect Kendall Square to be the largest underground substation in the U.S., located 105 feet below the surface and totaling 35,000 square feet. Readers can learn more details from a report on the substation and a full list of related project reports.

Canada's most notable T&D projects include an ambitious plan to serve rural and remote areas in Northwestern Ontario: Hydro One Networks Incorporated's Waasigan Transmission Line, which is being developed in partnership with nine First Nations. The 224-mile overhead line is being developed across five phases, with a related substation upgrade already completed. Readers can learn more from a full list of related project reports.

The Industrial Info Resources GMI Project and Plant databases offer a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and a full list of related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources also offers a full list of reports for active and proposed T&D projects across the NPCC region.

Key Takeaways

• The NPCC believes its region will have enough T&D capacity to meet the heavy summer weather...
• ...but there's a small chance the U.S. and Atlantic Canadian areas will need special operating procedures if it's hot enough.
• Several major T&D projects, such as CHPE, are nearing completion or under construction.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news, and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing, and energy-related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified, and verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).