Oil-fired power plants in New England have accounted for about 5.3% of total generation in the region so far this year, more than eight times the level during the same period of 2013, according to data grid operator ISO New England published Wednesday. The ISO, which handles electric markets for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, showed generation from oil-fired units averaged 16.201 GWh/day through March 24, compared with about 1.991 GWh/d, or 0.6% of total generation, during the comparable period last year. ISO New England’s oil-fired generation has been high this winter because of repeated cold snaps and a grid operator-initiated winter reliability program that provided a number of incentives to use oil to generate electricity. Article continues below… Request a free trial of: Megawatt Daily Megawatt Daily provides detailed coverage of power prices in major US and Canadian electricity […]