ISO New England (ISO-NE)

ISO New England Inc. (ISO-NE) is an independent, non-profit Regional transmission organization (RTO), headquartered in Holyoke, Massachusetts, serving virtually all of the New England states; Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. ISO-NE oversees the operation of the 32,000 megawatt bulk electric power system and transmission lines in New England, generated and transmitted by its member utilities. The ISO-NE grid does not extend to remote parts of eastern and northern Maine in Washington and Aroostook Counties. In these areas, residents receive their electricity from Canadian providers such as NB Power and Hydro-Québec. ISO-NE was created in 1997 as a replacement for the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL), which was created in 1971.

What Market Data and Analysis does ESAI provide for ISO-New England?

ESAI provides fundamental-based outlooks for generation owners, investors, developers, and energy traders. Subscribers receive market updates on important market events including Capacity auctions, MA CO2, RGGI auctions, new Emissions and Renewables legislations, plus complete ISO-New England long-term price forecasts for Power, NatGas, Capacity, RECs, and Emissions prices.

ESAI Power’s market insights enable subscribers to:

Make critical investment and trading decisions.
Conduct effective energy asset revenue and gross margin analysis.
Validate Asset valuation models and projections.
Stay up to date with unbiased near-term and long-term price forecasts.
Understand and manage market and regulatory risks.
Test analytical models.
Compare industry standard Capacity, Carbon, RECs, Energy & NatGas price forecast benchmarks.

In addition to ISO-New England, ESAI Power monitors PJM, NYISO and MISO.

Request Our ISO-NE Forward Capacity Auction Track Record Over The Last 7 Years

Request a report analyzing ESAI Power’s Pre-Auction Capacity Price forecast for ISO-NE’s Forward Capacity Markets (FCA’s) over the past 7 Capacity Auctions. This report compares our pre-auction forecast with actual FCA results across defined locational deliverability areas (LDA) for the past seven ISO-NE Capacity Auctions.

ESAI Power continuously monitors and analyzes the capacity markets in ISO-NE, NYISO, PJM and MISO. Capacity market projections incorporate detailed assessments of market drivers including load projections, demand curve parameters, new capacity and retirements, and transmission constraints that impact locational delivery and pricing.

ISO-NE Capacity Auction Forecast Track Record 2016 - 2023

ISO New England Blog Posts

ISO-NE FCA18 Auction Dynamics and Capacity Price Forecast | Capacity Watch Blog

January 23, 2024

In ESAI’s latest Capacity Watch report, we analyze ISO-NE FCA18, Forward Capacity Auction. ESAI's coverage includes auction parameters, qualified capacity, and expected auction dynamics. These are all detailed in our Capacity Watch report.

ISO-NE Forward Capacity Auction Forecast Track Record

November 27, 2023

Generation owners and their investors are placing big bets (often in the hundreds of millions of dollars) in the ISO-New England Capacity Market. As Mark Christie, FERC Commissioner, put it in March 2023: “Capacity Markets are characterized by such hopeless complexity and impenetrable opacity that they represent the example of a game that only insiders can play and win.” ESAI is now offering the opportunity to request our Pre-Auction Capacity Price Forecasts for ISO New England's Forward Capacity Auction (FCA) over the past 7 Capacity Auctions.

ISO-NE FCA17 Auction Dynamics and Capacity Price Forecast | Capacity Watch Blog

February 24, 2023

In ESAI’s latest Capacity Watch report, we analyze the ISO-NE FCA17, Forward Capacity Auction. ESAI's coverage includes auction parameters, qualified capacity, and expected auction dynamics. These are all detailed in our Capacity Watch report.

ISO-NE Proposes Ending MOPR in 2025, with a Transition Aimed at Protecting Grid Reliability | Energy News

April 4, 2022

Ethan Howland reports in Utility Dive that ISO New England has proposed ending its "minimum offer price rule" in 2025, with a transition that exempts up to 700 MW of qualified state-supported capacity — or roughly 2,000 MW of nameplate capacity — from the MOPR over the next two capacity auctions. Learn what Scott Niemann, ESAI Power director and principal, says about ending the rule.

Outage-Related Transmission Constraints to Impact Power Prices in PJM, NYISO & ISO-NE | Congestion Watch Blog

March 23, 2022

Congestion in April will largely be driven by outage-related transmission constraints, as maintenance for both generator and transmission kicks into gear. Electricity demand across the Northeast RTOs bottoms out in April, moderating demand-driven congestion. However, while warmer temperature forecasts moderate April load expectations in New England and New York, warmer-than-normal April weather is likely to trigger some cooling demand and increased electricity consumption in PJM.

ISO-NE FCA16 Auction Parameters and Capacity Price Forecast | Capacity Watch Blog

January 14, 2022

In ESAI’s latest Capacity Watch report, we analyze the ISO-New England Forward Capacity Auction, FCA16. Clearing Prices are expected to decline from the FCA15 Auction due to a decrease in Net Installed Capacity Requirements (Net ICR) and Net Cost of New Entry (Net CONE).

A New Year (2022) brings New Congestion Risks to PJM, NYISO & ISO-NE | Congestion Watch Blog

December 20, 2021

High on-peak load levels and gas prices bolster congestion risks in January across ISO-NE and PJM. Winter demand levels are here to stay and are forecasted to be high in every market except for NYISO where temps will be unseasonably warm. Cold-weather seasons are not usually associated with transmission and generator outages, but ESAI has a few outages on our radar that are forecasted to keep all three markets spicy this January.

Northeast’s Inflated Natural Gas and Power Forwards | Energy Watch Blog

October 20, 2021

The upcoming winter's natural gas and power prices outlook for PJM, NYISO and ISO-New England continue to trend up despite the warmer-than-normal weather forecast. The forwards appear overvalued and ESAI Power holds its bearish stance on natural gas and power prices. The markets bullish outlook is based on a recent uptick in delivered gas and global LNG prices, but ESAI Power's outlook has key insights driving a stable gas and power forecast.

September Congestion update PJM NYISO & ISO-NE | Congestion Watch Blog

August 23, 2021

Weather forecasts across the Northeast power markets continue to call for warmer-than-normal temperatures this summer and elevated electricity demand will be the main congestion driver in August. Planned generator maintenance will be minimal; however, forced generator outages during hot summer weather could significantly impact congestion and be an import constraint on areas across the Northeast Power Pools.

Stepping Stones to FCA16 and Beyond | Capacity Watch Blog

August 12, 2021

In this blog, we highlight a portion of the analysis in the NYISO section of the recently published Q2 Capacity Watch™. Changes to the New York markets' supply and demand levels and declining peak load forecasts have sent capacity prices in all directions. New York's commitment to renewable development has increased considerably in the past year with the approval of CLCPA's minimum statewide goal of 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035. The upward trajectory of renewables has also shaped LCR and IRM expectations.

ESAI Power Launches Renewables Watch for NYISO, ISO-NE & PJM Wholesale Power Markets | Press Release

August 4, 2021

Today, ESAI Power, a market research and consulting firm, announced the immediate availability of its Renewables WatchTM Service which provides Class I REC (Renewable Energy Certificates) Price outlooks to 2030 for the ISO-NE & PJM power generation and transmission systems and the Supply & Demand Balance forecasts for the NYISO power generation and transmission system.

Energy Watch™ Report Released for Q2 2021

July 20, 2021

Our Q2 issue of Energy WatchTM came out this week. In our Q2 Energy WatchTM report ESAI Power provides an update on the Seasonal NOx regulations under the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the expected impact on allowance prices, Northeast power plant emissions, and wholesale power prices. For each ISO, ESAI Power provides an overview of projected net energy revenue expectations for key generation technologies.

Transmission Outages in ISO-NE Will Elevate Congestion Potential in NEMA, SEMA & CT | Congestion Watch Blog

July 14, 2021

Capacity Watch™ Report Released for Q2 2021

July 8, 2021

Our Q1 issue of Capacity WatchTM came out this week. In this issue, we’re covering results from ISO-New England FCA15 and an outlook for FCA16. In PJM we’re forecasting the BRA clearing prices expected in the upcoming capacity auction. For NYISO, due to a lower forecasted peak load and a drop in the Locational Capacity Requirement (LCR), prices are expected to decline substantially for New York City.

ISO New England Fifteenth Forward Capacity Auction (FCA15) | Capacity Watch Blog

December 31, 2020