ISO-NE staff discuss nuclear energy, extreme weather challenges at June 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 June speaking engagements.

Vamsi Chadalavada, president and CEO, spoke at a New England Council luncheon in Boston on June 29. He discussed stakeholder partnerships during last winter’s cold snap, which created the most challenging conditions on the power system in nearly a decade.

Al McBride, vice president, System Planning, presented at the IBEW Second District Utility and Construction Summit in Springfield, Massachusetts, on June 2. Topics included forecasting regional load growth, a recap of winter 2025/2026, planning the transmission system, capacity auction reforms, and inverter-based resource integration.

Eric Johnson, executive director, External Affairs, took part in a panel discussion organized by the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Roadmap for Advanced Nuclear and Fusion Energy in Worcester on June 15. He discussed how nuclear power remains a critical source of reliable, carbon-free electricity in New England and how it is expected to play an important role in meeting growing demand while supporting the region’s clean energy goals.

Johnson, along with Brenden Flaherty, state policy advisor, External Affairs, gave a presentation on nuclear energy in New England at the New Hampshire Department of Energy’s Advanced Nuclear Stakeholder Session in Portsmouth on June 24.

Jinye Zhao, technical manager, Advanced Technology Solutions, led a webinar for the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) on June 4. She discussed the ISO’s Regional Energy Shortfall Threshold (REST), a tool for evaluating risks to energy adequacy from extreme weather.

Kerry Schlichting, supervisor, State Policy, and Long Vu, lead data scientist, Load Forecasting, led a webinar on June 24 about system forecasting and the 2026-2035 Forecast Report of Capacity, Energy, Loads, and Transmission (CELT Report), highlighting how the region’s electricity demand is expected to evolve over the next decade.

Marissa Ribeiro Dahan, senior state policy advisor, External Affairs, gave a presentation at the Boston Bar Association Energy Law Conference on June 11 about the New England grid outlook and the roles that the ISO plays to ensure reliable electricity.