ISO-NE supports states’ successful bid for $389M energy infrastructure grant

ISO New England served as lead technical adviser to the six New England states in their successful application for a federal grant to support offshore wind and energy storage development.

The effort is an example of the type of regional collaboration that will be essential to supporting a reliable clean energy transition.

The US Department of Energy recently announced that the states will share $389 million in funding for a project called Power Up New England. The project involves upgrading transmission substations and other infrastructure in Massachusetts and Connecticut, which will enable up to 4,800 megawatts of additional offshore wind resources to connect to the regional power grid. It also involves building a multiday battery energy storage system in Maine.

The grant is part of the $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, which is intended to enhance the nation’s power system in light of growing electricity demand and climate change.

ISO New England is committed to providing technical support to help the states pursue federal funding opportunities like this one. Such efforts advance the clean energy transition by supporting one or more of the four pillars:

1. Significant amounts of clean energy resources
2. Sufficient balancing resources to ensure reliability
3. Energy adequacy via a reliable fuel supply chain or energy reserve
4. A robust transmission system