The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which operates the state's power grid, inspired some relief with an announcement on Wednesday. Although the Empire State will face stress on air conditioning as it always does thanks to summer heat, NYISO believes that the capacity needed to meet peak demand does in fact exist.
“The outlook for the supply of electricity is positive, given forecasts for electricity demand this summer,” NYISO President and CEO Stephen G. Whitley said in a press release. “While the retirement of several power plants has decreased the total supply, we have sufficient statewide generating capacity and other resources to address expected peak usage.”
That assessment is based on an expected peak summer demand of 33,279 megawatts (MW), just over the 32,439 MW summer peak from 2012. The prediction, however, would still leave this summer below the 33,939 MW mark that New York hit in August 2006.
