A scramble is on to prevent controlled power outages this winter.
It comes amid worries it might be tough to ship enough natural gas to New England to keep all the lights on if the region gets hit with a frigid blast.
“We obviously are facing unprecedented energy challenges globally,” said Joseph R. Nolan, Jr., Eversource Energy president and CEO.
Usually shipments of foreign natural gas are brought to New England to help meet the winter power needs. But we’re told this year there’s likely not going be enough because of the war in Ukraine and shortages in Europe.
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Nolan sent a letter to President Joe Biden and in it, he called for the Biden administration to “…swiftly address the growing concerns about winter electric reliability in New England.”
Nolan’s big concern is that the region’s electricity grid operator, ISO-New England, and a federal group, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, have been warning that there might not be enough natural gas to meet the power needs if there’s a really cold stretch.
“We could face some of the similar challenges that California faced and certainly Texas has faced with regard to rolling blackouts and the inability for the electric generators to support all of the needs of customers for a period of time,” Nolan said.
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Similar worries about potential controlled outages are echoed by United Illuminating and AVANGRID.
“For the last year, our teams have been working closely with the 17 municipalities in UI’s service territory to plan for a potential event, and continue to coordinate with ISO-NE and CONVEX, regulators, and the Lamont administration to ensure that if we face this challenge, we are prepared to respond in a manner that prioritizes safety and security for our customers,” wrote Pedro Azagra, AVANGRID CEO.
Both utilities are urging state, regional and national leaders to come together to find solutions.
Eversource suggested President Biden issue several emergency orders and waive the Jones Act to allow for shipment of energy between U.S. ports.
“I feel confident that we would have sufficient amount of time to be able to get the president and his team to be able to respond without issue,” Nolan said.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to the Gov. Ned Lamont and Biden administrations but has not yet heard back.
