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New England May Ask Residents to Curb Energy in Extreme Cold

  • Prolonged severe weather poses power reliability risks
  • Public conservation is a prominent tool to keep grid stable
A blizzard in Boston, Massachusetts, on Jan. 29, 2022. 

A blizzard in Boston, Massachusetts, on Jan. 29, 2022. 

Photographer: Allison Dinner/Bloomberg

New England’s power grid operator is warning it may ask homes and businesses to curtail electricity use during bouts of extreme cold this winter.

ISO New England, which runs the system, said it could ask customers to cut back during prolonged cold spells or back-to-back deep freezes to reduce stress on the grid amid tight natural gas supplies, according to a statement Monday. The grid operator said it does not expect to have to resort to rolling blackouts.