Massachusetts and Regional Partners Issue First-in-the-Nation Competitive Transmission Solicitation to Unlock Affordable Electricity in New England
Grid operator ISO New England issued the RFP under a new
regional process for identifying transmission investment needed to meet New
England’s future needs
This procurement will unlock new affordable electricity
to help power New England
BOSTON – Massachusetts officials celebrated New
England’s first competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) for longer-term
transmission investments issued yesterday by ISO New England Inc. (ISO-NE), a
long-time goal of the New England states. This RFP will address long-standing
constraints on the New England power system and integrate new, affordable,
onshore wind resources in the coming years. The process was developed by and
for the New England states after years of collaboration with ISO-NE and
regional stakeholders. This partnership enables the states to request that
ISO-NE pursue transmission investment under a state-driven process that is
grounded in the evaluation of broad regional benefits and consumer
interests.
“This nation-leading transmission procurement will unlock
affordable electricity for Massachusetts residents and businesses at a critical
time,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This milestone represents what can
happen when we work together – innovative and cost-effective solutions to our
region’s most pressing energy challenges. We are grateful to our partner states
and ISO New England for taking this important step forward toward regional
energy independence.”
“New England is a region that leads,” said Lieutenant
Governor Kim Driscoll. “Through partnership and a commitment to our shared
long-term goals, we are able to get more done and deliver for our communities.
Through this RFP, we’ll be able to power our growing regional economy and
ensure we have a strong, reliable grid.”
“When we took office, we made a commitment to partner with
our neighbor states. We’re grateful to see those relationships deliver such a
meaningful investment in our region’s grid,” said Massachusetts Energy and
Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Affordable electricity has
been stuck behind inadequate transmission in Maine when it could flow freely to
power communities across our region. Transmission is the key to lowering costs
and strengthening reliability.”
“We are moving from study to solicitation,” said Jason
Marshall, Massachusetts Deputy Secretary for Federal and Regional Energy
Affairs. “This is a positive chapter in New England energy collaboration
that is many years in the making. This procurement seeks to unlock locally
sourced and abundant onshore wind resources while addressing long-standing
bottlenecks on the region’s electric grid. While there are many steps left in
this process, the issuance of this competitive procurement is a milestone for
our region and for the partnership between the states and ISO New
England.”
Historically, New England has lacked a mechanism to enable
ISO-NE to procure transmission at the states’ request to meet the region’s
needs decades into the future. In 2020, the New England states, through the New
England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE), called for reforms to
ISO-NE’s transmission planning rules to allow it to conduct more comprehensive,
longer-term transmission planning studies and, at the New England states’
request, issue a competitive transmission solicitation.
In May 2024, with broad support from regional stakeholders,
ISO-NE submitted a proposal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
to implement this new regional transmission procurement process. In July
2024, FERC approved the new rules and, in December 2024, NESCOE sent a formal request to ISO-NE to develop an RFP for issuance
this year.
The RFP targets a key area of future need identified in
ISO-NE’s 2050 Transmission Study—seeking transmission solutions to
strengthen the connection between northern and southern New England and unlock
additional affordable generation resources located in Maine. The deadline for
bids by qualified transmission project sponsors is September 30, 2025. ISO-NE
will evaluate the bids submitted, in consultation with the New England states,
and expects to select a preferred solution by September 2026. A strong
preference will be given to bids with an in-service date by 2035. The New
England states have agreed to share in the costs of these transmission
investments, following an analysis by ISO New England comparing project costs
with reliability benefits and cost savings that the upgraded transmission would
provide to the region.
“This solicitation is a key step toward bringing more
affordable and reliable electricity generation online as part of Governor
Lamont’s all-of-the-above strategy to address energy affordability,” said Connecticut
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie S. Dykes.
“By working together to upgrade New England’s power grid, we will deliver more
affordable and cleaner electricity to Connecticut and New England as a whole
and improve grid reliability by diversifying our generation mix.”
"As Maine seeks to unlock more affordable, reliable
power generated in our own backyard, regional coordination and long-term
transmission planning have never been more critical," said Dan Burgess,
Director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office. "This solicitation is
an important and first of its kind step in that effort as we seek common sense
solutions in New England that reduce costs while maximizing the flow of energy
across our state and region."
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