2015A Provides Capacity and Reliability
- All MLPs, as load-serving entities, are required to provide capacity to ISO New England
- 14 MLPs are participating in 2015A as Project Participants for the capacity
- Capacity must be available to cover the MLP’s peak load, plus a reserve margin
- Prices in the ISO New England capacity market are volatile; 2015A locks in a price, protecting MLPs against this price volatility
- Having this capacity reliability resource helps the MLP stabilize rates and plan for the future
2015A is Not an Energy Resource
- Project 2015A will account for only .535% of Project Participant energy needs
- Energy is the amount of electricity used by the customers of an MLP; measured in kilowatt hours, energy usage varies through the year and the day
- Approximately 30% of MMWEC Member capacity requirements is covered by entitlements from fossil resources; these capacity resources contribute less than 1.8% of total energy consumption for MMWEC Members
2015A is Essential for the Increased Use of Renewable Energy Resources
- Having the required capacity through 2015A allows MLPs to purchase or own more renewable energy, such as MMWEC solar Project 2020A, Berkshire Wind Phase I and Berkshire Wind Phase II
- The intermittent nature of renewable sources means they provide very little capacity
- Because of their intermittent characteristics, ISO-NE allows for only .311 of capacity for every 1 MW of Berkshire Wind, and .117 of capacity for every 1 MW of solar, on an annual average
2015A will Run Very Infrequently
- 2015A will be dispatched by ISO New England during limited times of system stress or high energy usage
- As a capacity and fast-start reserve resource, 2015A is estimated to run an average of only 2.72% of the time, equivalent to approximately 239 hours per year
- 2015A will be in the ISO New England reserve markets, which will further restrict its hours of operation
- 2015A is expected to produce approximately 7,085 tons of carbon emissions per year
2015A Aligns with the Massachusetts Decarbonization Roadmap
- As a flexible fast-start reserve unit, with its state-of-the-art technology, 2015A will produce fewer emissions, displacing existing older, dirtier, fast-start plants when it is called upon to run
- State and regional officials and stakeholders have identified efficient gas plants like 2015A as necessary to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 – see 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap HERE; see specific references in 2030 Interim Plan and 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap HERE
