New England has relied on wholesale and retail electric market competition to guide most electric capacity resource development in New England for nearly 20 years. Since that time the region’s fleet of generation capacity resources has evolved to its current mixture where there is now an increased use of low emission natural gas-fired, renewable and energy efficiency resources operating alongside of existing hydroelectric and nuclear resources. By relying on New England’s wholesale power markets, consumers have realized the benefits of this welcome evolution in power supply mixture while bearing only minimal cost of the risks taken by private investors to transform the power supply portfolio. As New England states take steps to fulfill their legislative mandates to promote low emission resources, the region is becoming more reliant on clean energy electric generation resources. It is critical to recognize the key roles that competitive power markets and existing generation resources play in New England today, and will still be needed to play in the future. Reliance on competitive markets will help minimize the costs of transitioning to a low carbon emission future while ensuring reliable electric system operations are maintained.
