Originally Post by New Hampshire Business Review
Jim Andrews, CEO, Granite Shore Power
Q: Could you share your perspective on reliability in New England and what Granite Shore Power is doing to enhance it?
A: As we approach another New England winter, Granite Shore Power (GSP) generating stations stand ready to provide ISO-New England with reliable electric generation to the families and businesses of New Hampshire when needed most. Recent retirements of power plants as well as announced retirements, including our own Schiller Station in Portsmouth and Merrimack Station in Bow, are being replaced with intermittent resources that represent less than half of the retiring resource capacity. A deficiency of dispatchable resources is resulting in a near-crisis for reliability at a critical time in New England.
To that end, we recently announced the transformation and repowering of Schiller and Merrimack into clean energy parks, which will provide New Hampshire with energy storage that dispatches power when it is needed to lower peak demand day-in and day-out. Schiller and Merrimack are interconnected to the grid which means they can be developed more quickly. At every turn, we are planning for and considering the future, but we are committed to acting on what we can do today to ensure our current operations meet the energy needs of our communities.
Q: What steps is your team taking today to make this transformation a reality?
A: At GSP we are focused on bringing online new resources, specifically enhanced battery storage systems, which can deliver the power that we need right away–not ten years from now. Schiller’s battery energy storage system (BESS) will charge at points of low energy demand throughout the day and discharge at afternoon and evening peaks, balancing supply and demand in real time. Located on the Seacoast, the Jacona II at Schiller Station will be able to address immediate peaking needs and will also be available to provide storage for the wind power being built off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and in the Gulf of Maine.
Q: Why is battery storage so critical to the reliability of businesses in New Hampshire?
A: Battery storage is a proven technology that is already benefiting the region, and we know the impact will be even greater as it works in tandem with renewable resources in the future. We are not looking to be aspirational about what the “best” resource will be – but rather we are focused on providing immediate solutions to maintain reliability for electric generation.
Q: How will enhanced energy reliability support New Hampshire’s economy?
A: Economic growth has been strong in the Granite State - ranked the #1 state in the nation for economic opportunity by U.S. News & World Report. We want New Hampshire to continue to be a place where businesses can grow and prosper, and we believe GSP can support that upward trajectory. To ensure a strong business climate, companies need access to affordable, reliable energy that they can count on during the seasonal swings of our region. Our storage projects will be essential dispatchable resources when intermittent resources become interrupted by weather dependency.
Reliable energy is about more than keeping the lights on and the heat running; it is about providing a stable foundation for economic activity. Electric reliability will be critical for attracting new businesses, as well as supporting existing businesses that wish to expand. We think New Hampshire is a great business environment–but if reliability is not there, businesses may be forced to look elsewhere to operate.
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