March 25, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) — In prepared remarks to be delivered to Congress today, the head of the Independent System Operator of New England, (ISO-NE), the independent group responsible for managing the region’s electric grid and wholesale energy markets, reiterates the importance of developing offshore wind projects for future grid reliability.
The appearance by ISO-NE chief Mr. Gordon Van Welie before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on EnergISO-NE Chief Reiterates Offshore Wind Essential for Future Grid Reliabilityy examining regional grid reliability focused several times on offshore wind, saying:
“Offshore wind resources can be a strong and steady source of energy that is injected directly into major load centers in New England, and their production profile during the winter is helpful for offsetting the effects of the constraints on the gas pipeline system.”
“New England has been counting on offshore wind as a major new source of energy and our studies have shown substantial reliability benefits of offshore wind…”
“The region, and the ISO, are counting on the addition of large quantities of offshore wind to maintain resource and energy adequacy.”
Maine’s leading nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to protecting the environment, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), said that Van Weile’s comments reinforce the essential role offshore wind will play in New England’s energy future, offering the large, abundant source of reliable energy that Maine will need to power homes, businesses, and transportation, and meet its statutory requirements for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
“There’s no better way to diversify our energy supply and reduce our dependence on out-of-state fossil fuel companies than responsibly developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine,” said NRCM’s Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro. “The strong, consistent winds off our coast will provide the large amount of energy we’ll need to power the future, while generating thousands of new jobs, protecting wildlife, and stimulating economic development up and down the coast.”
