ISO New England CEO joins thousands in power industry, speaks at 2016 CIGRE Session in Paris

ISO New England CEO Gordon van Welie was invited to speak at the 2016 CIGRE Session held in Paris, France on August 21 – 26, 2016. CIGRE, the International Council on Large Electric Systems, holds week-long sessions every two years attracting thousands of senior executives, engineers, and experts from the worldwide power industry to discuss emerging issues and opportunities for high-voltage electric systems.

The invitation to speak at the 2016 Paris Session stemmed from a discussion paper authored by van Welie and ISO Vice President of Market Operations Bob Ethier on The Importance of a Performance-Based Capacity Market to Ensure Reliability as the Grid Adapts to a Renewable Energy Future. The discussion paper, issued by the ISO last fall, was accepted by CIGRE for the 2016 Paris Session, where it was featured alongside other papers on market models and regulatory structures in an evolving power industry. The ISO’s discussion paper highlights the key role the capacity market will play in ensuring reliability as increasing levels of renewable resources are integrated onto the system.

In Paris, van Welie participated in a “poster session” where he presented major themes from his discussion paper. He also gave a presentation focused on the impacts of state and federal policies on the wholesale electricity markets and the importance of a performance-based capacity market as the power system experiences growth in variable renewable energy resources.