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ISO New England 2027 work plan targets data center integration and seasonal capacity auctions

ISO New England issued its 2027 Annual Work Plan on October 22, 2026, setting roadmaps to integrate large loads such as AI data centers with consumer safeguards, shift to seasonal summer and winter capacity auctions starting in 2028, and update transmission planning and real-time dispatch for fast-ramping battery storage across the six-state region.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 22, 2026 · Updated 10/22/2026

ISO New England published its 2027 Annual Work Plan on October 22, 2026, outlining market, planning and reliability initiatives for the year ahead as electrification and demand from large commercial users grow across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

A central priority is integrating large energy users such as artificial intelligence data centers. Following a recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order intended to speed up integration of large loads while adding consumer safeguards, the grid operator will submit a compliance filing by November 16, 2026. Stakeholder discussions on updating operating, planning and resource adequacy provisions are set to begin in the first half of 2027.

The plan keeps capacity auction reform on track: a proposal for seasonal auctions and a new resource accreditation framework will be filed with FERC by the end of 2026, targeting implementation in the second quarter of 2027 and inaugural summer and winter auctions in 2028. The ISO also flagged a continued need for flexible operating reserves as intermittent solar and wind output grows, with stakeholder discussions targeted for the second quarter.

On transmission, stakeholder discussions on right-sizing tariff changes that would let developers increase the size of lines and equipment to account for future uses are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Compliance filings under FERC Order No. 1920 on long-term regional transmission planning are due in June with a 2029 effective date, and the ISO plans to adjust its real-time dispatch framework to reflect the operating characteristics of fast-ramping battery storage resources. A new Asset Condition Reviewer role for independent review of transmission equipment replacement proposals is expected to begin January 1.

Official source: isonewswire.com ↗