Deep blue New England is at risk of blackouts this winter

By Jack McEvoy

New England, a region home to six states that are deeply Democratic, may experience rolling blackouts this winter due to severe natural gas shortages, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The region is heavily reliant on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) to supply energy during the winter months; however, New England may be unable to get enough gas as Europe is importing record amounts of LNG to combat its energy crisis, the outlet reported. Should LNG supplies dwindle during a harsh winter states like Massachusetts and Connecticut could struggle to generate electricity as a substantial amount of fuel supply will be used to heat homes, according to the region’s grid operator Independent Systems Operator New England (ISO NE).

“The Northeast grid relies heavily on natural gas, including imported LNG from many areas of the world which is delivered just in time,” Meredith Angwin, author of “Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid,” told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Our dependence on these fuels leads to increased danger of rolling blackouts in cold weather conditions.”

Although New England states are located near the Appalachian and Marcellus shale natural gas basins, pipeline projects that could alleviate supply concerns have been previously blocked by states like New York and environmental groups.

“Since the region is reliant on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) during the winter months, we can expect to see price volatility when global events impact demand for this fuel,” an ISO NE spokesperson told the DCNF.

New England’s electricity companies cannot stockpile large amounts of fuel and are unable to secure enough gas via pipelines as the majority of supplies are routed to utilities that heat households and businesses, according to the WSJ. Power producers largely rely on fluctuating market prices to meet demand; however, natural gas prices are set to rise this winter, according to the Energy Information Administration.

“I don’t think we will address the reliability concerns in time for winter, we just have to hope for a mild winter,” Angwin said.

Europe is set to import a record amount of LNG in 2022 as its imports through the end of September are already 16.5% higher than 2021’s total and 8% over 2019’s pre-COVID numbers, according to Reuters which cited Refinitiv, a financial analyst. Europe is receiving increased shipments of LNG as Russia has cut natural gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in response to sanctions.

Weekly stocks of oil and distillate petroleum products were at historically low levels on Oct. 7, according to EIA data. Additionally, the price of heating oil, which can be used as an alternative to natural gas, hit an all-time high in October, according to the EIA.

Natural gas accounts for 52% of New England’s electricity generation while 11% of the region’s power comes from net imports, according to ISO NE data.

“Our initial analysis shows that the region should have sufficient fuel supplies under mild and moderate winter conditions, which in New England is quite cold,” an ISO NE spokesperson told the DCNF.

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11 thoughts on “Deep blue New England is at risk of blackouts this winter

  1. Yes. You cannot go against the free-market without eventually feeling the correction. Vermonters elected those who have created this mess and whether most want to admit it, those who voted for those who run Vermont knew their vote was wrong. They just pretended that a vote for wrong would somehow not result in harm. Foolishness!

  2. My son in law is an engineer and works for US Surgical in Connecticut. He was the liaison for the company with the engineers from the power company for a project at the plant. Having lunch with them the engineers with the power company said that there would be rolling blackouts in New England this winter because of the lack of natural gas being produced in the United States. Too bad they won’t come before the election.

  3. And why are the euros buying it all up???? bidumbs illegal war in the Ukraine that’s why. Fire all the war mongers in DC first then all the greenie weenies who hate on the fossil fuel. Lets get back to clean safe Nuclear power, the only source that can meet demand..

  4. NH is not deep Blue or “deeply Democratic” at all.

    The Republican Party controls the office of the Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General,
    both chambers and even the Commissioner of Education in NH.
    So that is hardly “Deep Blue”.

    So what else is this writer totally uninformed about?

    • Uhhhh….Laura?
      United States Senator, NH, Maggie Hassan….Democrat
      United States Senator, NH, Jeanne Shaheen…Democrat
      Unites State Congress, NH, Chris Pappas…….Democrat
      Unites States Congress, NH, Annie Kuster……..Democrat

      Sorry….New Hampshire is LOADED with Democrats….State level Repubs mean little…what matters is WASHINGTON DC…and NH is 100% Liberal Democrat.

      But let’s hope that changes soon?

      • You are right Jeffrey, of course.
        I was just looking at this differently.
        We’ve got a pretty decent group of Republicans now and we’ve done a whole lot that has the Democrats so mad that some of the more well known ones are leaving the state.
        So I was thinking more about what I see happening that is NOT Blue at all.

        We are so pro 2A over here and Sununu didn’t involve us in that boondoggle regional gas tax scam. We’ve had one of the fasted recoveries in our economy in the nation..we got 15 new laws signed in response to what Sununu did illegally to us during Covid that will hopefully see us never having a repeat of that mess.
        I was thinking of all that and thinking this is certainly not Deep Blue at all..

        But you are right and I get your point.. we’re not lacking Democrats but we are doing pretty well at kicking their butts.

  5. The results of the implemented policies were too predictable (and were widely predicted) not to have been the intended results. Killing energy independence and the leverage it gave us in the field of international politics, of global oil prices, was implemented as promised on the day King Joe ascended to the throne. High prices, heating fuel shortages, electric blackouts are no accident. They are a feature of irrational Progressive energy policy.

  6. The article warns of potential natural gas shortages, and that is where so much electricity comes from.. Why are people so timid not to spell out the truth?…Which are the uber Enviro “LawFare” Groups with endless legal suits against anything fossil fuel (they are deranged)…They will shutdown, if possible, from pipeline to drilling to transporting…to end use?…. A leader in this is Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)… in cahoots with The Nature Conservency, Sierra Club and endless small groups at the local grass roots level (all extremely organized)….and then the large roster of gullible & guilty wealthy Liberals who fund them $$$.. Look at headlines for the last decade or two and see what happens if you propose a pipeline for needed oil or gas…. Enviro LawFare will tie you in court forever. It is how they operate – Saul Alinsky style. First thing VT needs is a new law, that England has….LOSER PAYS….so if any “LawFare’s”…sue you in court and it drags on years & years at your great expense…if the Enviro LawFare group LOSES….they have to PAY YOU. Look what the CLF did to Stowe Mtn for years…and the CLF finally lost, but they know they “won” – in the years delays, income loss & significant costs $$$$ that Stowe Mtn. lost.

    • Thank you Jeffrey Green for writing based on facts and common sense, it is refreshing in this Liberal/Communist stronghold we call Vermont.

  7. Personally, I want to see blackouts. It is one of the things that might walk the “wokes” up. that no gas to get to work, and empty food shelves. Idiots only learn the hard way.

    • Ed,

      People who have been gaslighted to believe that Big Oil is responsible for Climate Change will easily put up with an initial rolling blackout or two in defense of the Cause. It will take a few years of winter hardship and other economic energy loss to wakeup the woke. Humans are very adaptive, up to a point…

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