A coalition of New England states jointly submitted two applications to secure federal funding to support investments in large-scale transmission and energy storage infrastructure to enhance grid reliability and resilience across the region.
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, the New Hampshire Department of Energy, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, and the Vermont Department of Public Service submitted applications for the Power Up New England project, and, in collaboration with the State of New York, the Clean Resilience Link project for the second round of funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Innovation Program.
Power Up New England features new and upgraded transmission points of interconnection in Southeast Massachusetts and Southeast Connecticut to unlock up to 4,800 megawatts of additional offshore wind and innovative battery energy storage systems in Southwest Connecticut and Northern Maine to enhance grid resilience and optimize delivery of renewable energy.
Project developers supporting the Power Up New England application include Elevate Renewables, Eversource Energy, a multi-day energy storage technology provider, and National Grid.
Clean Resilience Link features an interregional transmission upgrade that would enable operation of a New York-New England transmission line at 345 kilovolts, increasing transfer capacity between the two regions by up to 1,000 MW. Project developers supporting the Clean Resilience Link application include National Grid and Reactive Technologies.
The GIP, administered through DOE’s $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program, is intended to fund projects that improve grid reliability and resilience using advanced technologies and innovative partnerships and approaches.
The maximum award per project is $250 million, or $1 billion for a project with significant transmission investment, like Power Up New England and Clean Resilience Link. Up to $1.82 billion in funding is available through the second round of the GIP. The deadline to submit applications to DOE is April 17, 2024.
Funding through the DOE program would offset costs for transmission and storage infrastructure projects that support clean energy goals, enhance operational flexibility, grid reliability, and resilience during extreme weather events and periods of system stress, and provide necessary innovation in project planning and development.
The applications include Community Benefits Plans that describe the actions project developers will take related to community engagement, workforce development, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. An important objective of DOE’s GIP and of state energy offices is to advance the interests of and opportunities for disadvantaged communities as energy infrastructure is developed across the nation.
Last September, the New England states issued an Invitational Call for Innovative Project Design Concepts to solicit proposals for possible submission to DOE for the second round of the GIP. Project proposals were due November 17, 2023.
The New England states evaluated the proposals, with technical assistance from ISO New England, the region’s grid operator.
In January, the states submitted concept papers for Power Up New England and Clean Resilience Link, for which they received encouragement from DOE to submit full applications.
ISO New England continued to provide technical assistance to the states throughout the application process.
DOE is expected to announce project selections this Fall.
DOE’s GRIP Program is funded through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The GRIP Program provides an opportunity for states, Tribes, local governments, and public utility commissions to apply for funding through Topic Area 3 -- the Grid Innovation Program, which is intended to support projects that improve grid reliability and resilience using advanced technologies and innovative partnerships and approaches.
DOE is interested in broad project applications, including interregional transmission projects, investments that accelerate the interconnection of clean energy generation, utilization of distribution grid assets to provide backup power and reduce transmission requirements, and more.
On October 18, 2023, DOE announced selection of eight projects for first round GIP funding, totaling $1.4 billion in federal investment.
On November 14, 2023, DOE issued the Funding Opportunity Announcement for the second round of the GRIP Program, with approximately $1.82 billion available for projects applying for GIP funding.
