NYISO BLOG

In Episode 40 of the Power Trends podcast, NYISO Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Emilie Nelson offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the grid was managed during June’s heatwave, which brought record-setting temperatures across the Northeast. Nelson walks through the critical decisions and emergency measures that helped maintain adequate supply margins across New York.

In June, soaring temperatures tested New York’s grid, with demand reaching 31,857 megawatts (MW), the highest peak recorded on New York’s grid since 2016.

The NYISO Environmental Advisory Council held its spring meeting in June to examine challenges and opportunities with the transition of the electric system to more renewable generation as demand for energy increases.

A change as monumental as decarbonizing our electric system can be challenging and unpredictable.

Roughly 25% of the state’s total generating capacity is fossil-fuel-based generation that has been in operation for more than 50 years. As these generators age, they are experiencing more frequent and longer outages.

The electric system is undergoing rapid and instrumental change on a scale not experienced since 1892 when Thomas Edison first electrified the Pearl Street station in lower Manhattan. In the NYISO’s latest podcast, President & CEO Rich Dewey and Executive Vice President & COO Emilie Nelson discuss how these changes are impacting grid reliability, supply resources and planning the electric system for the future. Diving into the NYISO’s recently released Power Trends 2025 report with Kevin Lanahan, podcast host and Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communications, they highlight how every plausible option and opportunity to bolster reliability and resource needs should be on the table.  

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has implemented a new cluster study process to improve the efficiency and transparency of its interconnection process. Approximately 240 generation projects are advancing through the first phase of the interconnection process – a crucial step and significant milestone toward integrating new generation facilities onto the grid.

Renewable energy sources that are dependent on changing weather patterns present uncertainty in forecasting the needs of the electric grid. The Dynamic Reserves framework the NYISO is pioneering aims to address that, by strengthening grid reliability and ensuring a more efficient, responsive electricity market.

With the recent focus of rising energy costs in the news, it’s important to understand the distinction between the wholesale cost for electricity supply and retail electricity charges on the consumer bill.

This two-page fact sheet highlights current efforts to integrate clean energy resource participation in competitive wholesale electricity markets, support grid reliability services, and support environmental goals.

More than megawatts, resources powering the grid must deliver specific capabilities to maintain reliability under dynamic conditions.

In 1896, 20 years after the world’s first power grid began illuminating the streets of Manhattan, the first long-distance transmission lines were built to deliver electricity from Niagara Falls to Buffalo. The innovation signaled a new era in which power could be carried over long-distance transmission lines to meet the needs of distant energy users.

The cold spell that blanketed much of the country in late January required NYISO’s operations team to use an important resource that hasn’t been called on in winter for more than a decade: Demand Response (DR).

Manish Sainani says that while growing up in Mumbai, India, he was always inclined toward engineering and had an interest in renewable energy. That put him on a path toward a career at the NYISO, where he is currently an associate market design specialist helping to shape the future of electricity markets in New York.

With a fast-changing electric system, planning for future grid reliability has become an increasingly complex process, requiring careful consideration of many possible outcomes.

According to data from NYISO's 2024 Gold Book, 126 fossil-fuel generators that power the grid across New York are at least 40 years old. These units can generate 12,500 megawatts (MW) – which represents approximately a third of total summer capacity.

As winter weather continues to impact much of the nation, demand for natural gas is on the rise, leading to an increase in the cost of electricity for New York consumers.

With winter electricity demand on the rise, a new electric system planning rule was put in place in 2024 to model gas availability for generators during colder months.

Collaboration between the industry and government will be paramount to maintain robust wholesale markets and ensure grid reliability as the state continues to promote rapid development of renewable resources in the coming year.

NYISO Procurement Manager Samantha Torngren knows a thing or two about breaking down barriers.