Vermont is part of the New England electric grid. The grid consists of a network of over 8,000 miles of transmission lines, substations, and associated equipment that serves the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Vermont uses approximately 4.5% of the region’s total electricity consumed. The region gets its electricity supply from in-state and New England regional resources and also imports power from external resources over the region’s transmission system.
ISO New England, Inc. (ISO-NE) serves as the independent system operator for the New England grid. ISO-NE is authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to:
- coordinate and direct the flow of electricity over the region’s high-voltage transmission system
- design, run, and oversee the markets where wholesale electricity is bought and sold
- plan the region’s high-voltage transmission system
The Commission participates in regional and national forums to fulfill its responsibilities towards protecting the interests of Vermont’s electricity consumers and utilities. These forums include New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) working groups, New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners, New England States Committee on Electricity, proceedings before FERC, and all other regional and national forums.
This regional advocacy serves the purpose of fulfilling the Commission's responsibilities under 30 V.S.A. § 202a to assure, to the extent possible, that Vermont meets its electricity needs adequately and that Vermont’s electricity supply is reliable, secure, sustainable, affordable, efficient in use of energy resources and demand side management programs, environmentally sound, and in accordance with principles of least cost integrated planning.
More information on Vermont’s participation in New England and federal electric affairs can be found at:
ISO New England Inc. (ISO-NE)
New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners (NECPUC)
New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE)
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)