ISO New England’s Abnormal Conditions Alert is a precautionary notification. It provides information for those directly involved with the bulk electric system.
Abnormal conditions can arise for a variety of reasons. Unexpected generation or transmission outages, temperatures that are warmer or colder than the forecast, and geomagnetic storms all have the potential to create abnormal conditions and trigger the precautionary alert.
When the ISO issues the alert, it’s asking power system operations, maintenance, construction, and test personnel, as well as other market participants, to suspend any testing or maintenance on their resources that could affect grid reliability.
The alert may be issued for the entire region or for specific areas depending on system conditions. It may be issued whenever abnormal conditions are observed, or it may be issued in anticipation of abnormal conditions. For example, ISO system operators issued an alert ahead of 2024’s total solar eclipse, anticipating that the loss of solar power during the event would require them to dispatch other resources to meet demand.
The control room operations involved are specified in Master/Local Control Center Procedure No. 2 (M/LCC 2).
No action required. M/LCC 2 is used primarily to create awareness of potential system operating issues for power system personnel and wholesale electricity market participants. It is not a request for public conservation.
