New England Consumers Set New Record for Electricity Use; Breaks Yesterday's Record

Business Wire, August 2, 2006

HOLYOKE, Mass. -- New England consumers set a new record for electricity consumption today at 2:00 p.m. according to ISO New England Inc., the operator of the region's bulk power system. Preliminary data shows that regional electricity use reached 28,021 megawatts (MW) this afternoon, surpassing the record of 27,401 MW, set just yesterday, August 1. The previous record, 27,395 MW, was set last month on July 18, 2006.

Today's peak record would have been hundreds of megawatts higher if it were not for ISO New England's demand response programs and the conservation efforts of consumers.

"The extreme temperature and humidity combined to drive electricity use to record levels," said Stephen G. Whitley, ISO New England's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Despite the new record, the power system performed reliably with the coordinated efforts of both generation and transmission companies across New England. ISO New England also wants to thank the region's electricity consumers for responding to our calls for conservation."

ISO New England did implement operating procedures to keep pace with this record consumption, including asking consumers across New England to conserve electricity, requesting large commercial users to interrupt usage through demand-response programs, and bringing in emergency resources from neighboring systems.

Whitley said there should be enough power supplies to meet demand for the rest of the week as temperatures begin to moderate, unless there are unexpected outages on the power system.

"Maintaining a reliable power system in the face of growing electricity demand requires regional solutions that include investment in new, diverse sources of electricity, upgrades to the transmission system, and additional demand response and energy efficiency throughout the region," Whitley said.

Regional energy-efficiency efforts are increasingly important because of this record electricity consumption. ISO New England recently unveiled the Take Charge New England(sm) campaign, an initiative aimed at residential and commercial customers to promote simple yet effective steps for becoming more energy efficient. Information and tips for managing electricity use year round are available at www.takecharge-ne.org.

ISO New England, an independent, not-for-profit corporation, helps promote the health of New England's economy and protect the well-being of its people by ensuring the constant availability of electricity, today and for future generations. ISO New England meets this obligation in three ways: by reliably operating New England's 32,000-megawatt bulk electric power generation and transmission system, by overseeing and ensuring the fair administration of the region's $10 billion wholesale electricity markets, and by managing comprehensive regional electric power planning.