New York Grid Sees Summer Covered, But Urges Building
New York state needs to add more generating capacity "on an expedited basis" because demand continues to grow, says the New York Independent System Operator, the state agency in charge of electric transmission system operation. The state has adequate capacity for the summer, but supplies will be tight, according to the ISO's 2003 summer forecast. "Unless significant generating capacity is added to the system--and soon--demand is going to overwhelm supply and reliability will be at risk," said NYISO President William Museler on Feb. 25.
He stressed the need to get a new siting law into place, since the "Article X" law, which provided a one-stop process for permits and approvals, expired at the end of 2002, and the legislature has not passed a new version.