New York ISO Hosts U.S. Energy Secretary
The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, recently toured the New York ISO during a visit of upstate New York that focused on the growing clean energy ecosystem.
Granholm, along with Congressman Paul Tonko, who serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, spent an hour learning how we maintain reliability on the grid and avoid cybersecurity threats.
The visit was evidence of our prominence as a leader and innovator in the energy industry, said Rich Dewey, our President and CEO. The visit was also the first time an energy secretary has visited the New York ISO, he said.
“Secretary Granholm was very interested in renewable energy resources and the work underway at the NYISO to integrate these resources onto the grid,” Dewey said. “We also talked in detail about how from a grid operations standpoint we’re making sure the transition to clean energy happens smoothly.”
Dewey, Executive Vice President Emilie Nelson, and Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communications Kevin Lanahan showed the visitors our Control Room, where operators maintain the flow of electricity in real time and monitor our wholesale, competitive energy markets. They also visited the 24-hour Cybersecurity Operations Center, where IT experts watch for risks from cyberattacks, on a tour led by Matt Anglin, Director of Enterprise Security and CISO.
The visit provided a chance to discuss one of the biggest challenges in the transition to clean energy: how to keep the lights on during the transition away from dispatchable generators powered by natural gas.
“There are opportunities for research, such as through national labs under the U.S. Department of Energy, to develop new technologies such as green hydrogen or long-duration storage. Until we have a replacement for fossil fuel generation, you can’t let those retire,” Dewey said.
We have several existing partnerships with the Department of Energy, including a 2003 project to improve the monitoring of transmission lines, and an information-sharing program to help flag cyber risks.
The January 14 visit was part of a regional tour, which also included a new manufacturing center for offshore wind turbines at the Port of Albany, an advanced manufacturing skills training center at Hudson Valley Community College, and General Electric’s world research center in Schenectady.
Dewey joined Granholm, Tonko, Governor Kathy Hochul, and other government leaders for the visit to the Port of Albany, the site of a new manufacturing hub for offshore wind turbines expected to be located off the coast of Long Island.
