2015A

2015A Provides Capacity and Reliability

• All MLPs, as load-serving entities, are required to provide capacity to ISO New England
• 14 MLPs are participating in 2015A as Project Participants for the capacity
• Capacity must be available to cover the MLP’s peak load, plus a reserve margin
• Prices in the ISO New England capacity market are volatile; 2015A locks in a price, protecting MLPs against this price volatility
• Having this capacity reliability resource helps the MLP stabilize rates and plan for the future

2015A is Not an Energy Resource

• Project 2015A will account for only 0.34% of Project Participant energy needs
• Energy is the amount of electricity used by the customers of an MLP; measured in kilowatt hours, energy usage varies through the year and the day
• Approximately 30% of MMWEC Member capacity requirements is covered by entitlements from fossil resources; these capacity resources contribute less than 1.8% of total energy consumption for MMWEC Members

2015A is Essential for the Increased Use of Renewable Energy Resources

• Having the required capacity through 2015A allows MLPs to purchase or own more renewable energy, such as MMWEC solar Project 2020A, Berkshire Wind Phase I and Berkshire Wind Phase II
• The intermittent nature of renewable sources means they provide very little capacity

2015A will Run Very Infrequently

• 2015A will be dispatched by ISO New England during limited times of system stress or high energy usage
• As a capacity and fast-start reserve resource, 2015A is estimated to run an average of only 2.72% of the time, equivalent to approximately 239 hours per year
• 2015A will be in the ISO New England reserve markets, which will further restrict its hours of operation

2015A Aligns with the Massachusetts Decarbonization Roadmap

• As a flexible fast-start reserve unit, with its state-of-the-art technology, 2015A will produce fewer emissions, displacing existing older, dirtier, fast-start plants when it is called upon to run
• State and regional officials and stakeholders have identified efficient gas plants like 2015A as necessary to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
• MMWEC is making a contribution to an environmental cause to support the state’s climate change goals

MMWEC and its members have been incorporating carbon-free power into their portfolios for decades, dating back to the 1980s. Click on timeline below for major accomplishments to date.