Improving gas-electric coordination: ISO-NE staff share expertise at April events

Collaboration, expertise, and innovation are three of ISO New England’s core values. Staff embody these values by presenting their work at electricity industry conferences and events around the region, the country, and the world. Here’s a selection of their April speaking engagements.

On April 30, President and CEO Gordon van Welie took part in a roundtable discussion at the Federal-State Current Issues Collaborative in Washington, D.C. He was speaking as chair of the ISO/RTO Council, an organization made up of nine independent system operators and regional transmission organizations, including ISO-NE. The meeting topic was improving coordination between the bulk electric system and the natural gas system.

System Planning

Dan Schwarting, manager, Transmission Planning, participated in the IEEE Energy and Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., on April 15. He spoke on a panel titled “The Road Ahead: Overcoming Hurdles and Capitalizing on Opportunities in Transmission Planning to Power the Future.”

Jon Black, manager, Advanced Forecasting & Analytics, spoke April 30 at the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company’s annual conference at Endicott College in Beverly. He gave a presentation on the evolving long-term load forecasting methods underlying the ISO’s 2025–2034 Forecast Report of Capacity, Energy, Loads, and Transmission.

Other Events

Eric Johnson, executive director, External Affairs, discussed the ISO’s 2050 Transmission Study and Longer-Term Transmission Planning process in a virtual presentation for the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute’s Regional Transmission Organization Fundamentals conference on April 2. Johnson also provided an ISO-NE overview and regional update at the Business & Industry Association Energy Symposium in Concord, New Hampshire, on April 23 and the Vermont System Planning Committee quarterly meeting in Middlebury, Vermont, on April 30.

Kerry Schlichting, supervisor, State Policy, addressed the Rhode Island Joint House Committee on Corporations and Environment and Natural Resources on April 2. Her presentation covered the duties and responsibilities of ISO New England.

Graham Jesmer, senior regulatory counsel, participated in Vermont Law & Graduate School’s Alumni in Energy Regional Symposium in Albany, New York, on April 3. He spoke on a panel titled “Approaches to accelerating the integration of new generation resources under Order 2023.”