ISO-NE releases spring update to 2025 Annual Work Plan

ISO New England has issued the spring update to its 2025 Annual Work Plan, outlining efforts to ensure power system reliability as state policies drive the region’s clean energy transition.

The update notes progress on several anchor projects, which are the ISO’s highest-priority initiatives:

• Day-Ahead Ancillary Services Initiative (DASI): On Feb. 28, the ISO launched co-optimized markets to ensure sufficient energy and reserves to meet customer demand throughout the operating day. An information session for market participants is scheduled April 10.
• Longer-Term Transmission Planning (LTTP): At the direction of the New England States Committee on Electricity, the ISO on March 31 issued a request for proposals to address the region’s longer-term transmission needs.
• Generator Interconnection Compliance, Implementations, and Enhancements: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 4 partially accepted the ISO’s compliance filing related to Order Nos. 2023 and 2023-A, directing the ISO to submit a further compliance filing within 60 days. Meanwhile, stakeholder discussions around compliance with FERC Order No. 1920 are slated to begin in 2026.
• Capacity Auction Reforms (CAR): Stakeholder discussions continue on schedule around restructuring the capacity market and resource accreditation models to ensure system reliability and cost-effectiveness in step with grid transformation.
• Regional Energy Shortfall Threshold (REST): Stakeholder discussions continue around establishing an acceptable level of energy shortfall during low-frequency, high-impact extreme weather events as identified by the ISO’s Probabilistic Energy Adequacy Tool (PEAT).
• Technology for Critical Market and Reliability Initiatives: The nGEM real-time market clearing engine is on track for implementation in the second quarter of 2026.

The update also includes details on several other notable initiatives.

Each update to the Annual Work Plan underscores the ISO’s innovative work in collaboration with stakeholders across the region. In the coming months, the ISO will begin work on the 2026 Annual Work Plan. This process includes soliciting input from the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) Participants Committee, as well as representatives of the states through the New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners (NECPUC) and the New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE). Ultimately, the work plan helps inform the ISO’s annual budget.