A coalition of six New England states is competing for up to USD 1.82 billion (EUR 1.71bn) in federal funding to advance grid modernization and energy storage projects. The aim is to integrate additional renewable resources and reduce energy burdens across the region.
The coalition, which includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, has submitted two applications as part of the second round of funding through the US Department of Energy's (DoE) Grid Innovation Program (GIP).
One of the projects, Power Up New England, aims to unlock up to 4,800 MW of additional offshore wind and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Southwest Connecticut and Northern Maine. It includes new and upgraded transmission points of interconnection in Southeast Massachusetts and Southeast Connecticut. Project developers for this initiative include Elevate Renewables, Eversource Energy, and National Grid.
The other project, Clean Resilience Link, involves an interregional transmission upgrade enabling the operation of a New York-New England transmission line at 345 kV, increasing transfer capacity between the two regions by up to 1,000 MW. Developers for this initiative include National Grid and Reactive Technologies.
The deadline for submitting applications expired on April 17, and the DoE is expected to announce the winners in the autumn.
The GIP is administered through DoE's USD 10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program. The first round of funding allocated USD 1.4 billion to eight projects in October 2023.
