ISO-NE successfully tests backup control center

On March 7, 2017, ISO New England completed a successful test of the backup control center (BCC) in Connecticut, a fully-redundant control room maintained in the event that the main control center (MCC) in Massachusetts is rendered inoperable.

At least once a year, ISO New England tests several aspects of system operations at the BCC to ensure that operations can be performed seamlessly should an emergency affect the MCC. During the four-hour exercise, the region’s bulk power grid was managed from the BCC, while the MCC remained fully staffed in the event that any issues occurred. These tests, run in accordance with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards, exercise the functionality of the people, the processes, and the technology that serve control room operations.  

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