# Today in Energy

February 2, 2015 

# New England generation fuel mix changes likely as Vermont Yankee nuclear plant retires

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Data Browser and U.S. Energy Mapping System On December 29, 2014, Entergy shut down its Vermont Ya nkee nuclear facility after 42 years in service. Vermont Ya nkee had a capacity of 604 megawatts (MW), generating nearl y five million megawatthours (MWh) of electricity per ye ar since 2010. As the fifth-largest source of generation in NewEngland, Vermont Yankee accounted for 4% of New Engla nd's total electric generation and more than 70% of generation i n Vermont. Grid operators in New England have multipl e options to replace or offset the loss of generation from Vermont Y ankee's closure, and they will most likely use several of them in combination. One option is to operate some of the existing generat ors in New England at higher rates. The four nuclear u nits now active in New England—Millstone units 2 and 3 in Connecticut, Pil grim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, and Seabrook in New Hampshire, with combined summer nameplate capacity of 4,026 MW—already operated at an average capacity factor of just over 90% in 2014 (based on data through Octobe r). Since renewable sources generate power only on a vari able basis, any additional generation will likely have to com e largely from natural gas-, coal-, or petroleum-fuele d units. 

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8/ 1/2015 http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=19811

### Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on ISO-N E

New England could also import more electricity along itsexisting transmission connections to neighboring electricity grids in Canada and New York. The Independent System Operator o f New England (ISO-NE) consistently imports several thousan d megawatts of electricity each hour from those regions. T hese imports met 14% of New England's demand in 2013, according to ISO-NE. Transmission capacity into New England could also be expan ded. The Northern Maine Independent System Administra tor (NMISA) traditionally has had more generating capacity than needed and is isolated from the rest of New Engla nd, with ties only to Canada. NMISA is currently considering ways to access the New England electrical grid directly , which would add generating capacity for the New England market. Hydro-Qu ebec is also in the approval process with its Northern Pass transmission project. If constructed, Northern Pass would h ave the potential to flow up to 1,200 megawatts of el ectricity into New England.



### Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on ISO-N E Electricity demand could also be lowered through increase d energy efficiency and demand response programs to make up for the generation lost as a result of the retirement of generating units. ISO-NE currently counts 2,100 MW of demand resources (including load management, distributed generation, and energy efficiency programs) and expects this numb er to 

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8/ 1/2015 http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=19811increase in the coming years. All New England states part icipate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative , which auctions

carbon dioxide emissions and uses auction proceeds to fund energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other utility p rograms. Entergy submitted its Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report and the Si te-Specific Decommissioning Cost Estimate to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late Dece mber. The decommissioning process can take decades to dismantle, discontinue, and restore the site. Entergy estimates total decommissioning costs of more than $1.2 billion, including $817 million for license termination, $368 m illion for spent-fuel management, and $57 million fo r site restoration. Principal contributor: Tim Shear 

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8/ 1/2015 http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=19811