ISO New England warns of threat to grid reliability over gas supply shortage
Natural gas provided 44% of ISO NE’s electricity supply in 2014, up from 15% in 2000, while coal and oil together fell from 40% of the mix to 6%. At the same time, renewables only grew from 8% of the ISO NE generation mix to 9%.
The shift in supply from coal and oil to gas was driven by the availability of low cost natural gas from the nearby Marcellus Shale’s abundant supply, but increased demand has compromised local distribution companies’ ability to deliver.
