A new report from the ISO New England concludes the region’s dependence on natural gas could create serious problems in the event of a fuel shortage; as more gas-fired power plants come online the situation is likely to become more apparent. The study considered almost two dozen scenarios that included winter-long outages at four major energy facilities in the region and several other variables. The report concludes all but four scenarios result in fuel shortages requiring rolling blackouts. The results show that “trends affecting New England’s power system may intensify the region’s fuel-security risk,” the ISO concluded. Dive Insight: A recent coal snap that left the East Coast struggling with bitter temperatures illustrates much of the issue detailed in New England’s new report. In the northern United States, generators were forced to turn to coal and fuel oil to maintain supply, though regional grid operators were able […]