ISO New England explains responsibilities, grid pressures and future demand to Rhode Island lawmakers

Carrie Schlichting, lead state policy adviser at ISO New England, told a joint hearing of the Rhode Island House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Corporations on April 2 that ISO New England is the region's reliability coordinator and independent system operator, responsible for operating the high-voltage grid, running wholesale electricity markets and planning longer-term transmission needs.

Schlichting said the ISO is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and must meet reliability standards set by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. "We are the reliability coordinator for New England under the North American Electric Reliability Corporation," she said, and emphasized that the ISO is neutral on technology: "We are independent of companies in the marketplace, the energy marketplace, and we are neutral on technology." The ISO does not control retail distribution, own generation or decide siting for fuel infrastructure, she added.

Why it matters: Lawmakers focused on near-term system pressures — especially winter limits on natural gas supply — and longer-term planning as states pursue electrification and decarbonization goals. Schlichting presented ISO studies showing significant projected growth in regional electricity needs and described planning and market tools the ISO uses to preserve reliability.

Key points from the presentation

- ISO duties and limits: Schlichting summarized three primary ISO missions: operate the grid 24/7 from the control room in Holyoke, Massachusetts; administer FERC‑approved wholesale markets; and perform system planning (short- and long-term). She repeatedly stressed the ISO does not set state energy policy or control fuel supply, pipelines or retail distribution.

- Jurisdictional delineation: If a generating facility connects to transmission at the ISO level (for…