Power Up will also deploy an innovative, multi-day battery energy storage system in Northern Maine to enhance grid resilience and optimize the delivery of renewable energy. Together, these investments will provide the New England region with access to thousands of megawatts of offshore wind, greater resource diversity, and increased reliability while lowering consumer costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Power Up features significant investments in regional electric infrastructure including proactive upgrades to points of interconnection – new substations that allow for offshore wind to connect to the larger grid – in Southeast Massachusetts and Southeast Connecticut to ready the onshore transmission system for up to 4,800 megawatts of additional offshore wind.
Power Up will also deploy an innovative, multi-day battery energy storage system in northern Maine capable of continuously dispatching carbon-free electricity for up to 100 hours, which will provide critical reliability benefits to the power grid, particularly during periods of prolonged cold weather. Together, these investments will allow New England to connect offshore wind power to the grid and cover significant costs that would otherwise fall to ratepayers, further advancing the region’s leadership in offshore wind.
Power Up also advances a robust Community Benefits Plan—a priority for DOE and state energy offices—ensuring that disadvantaged communities in the region benefit from the infrastructure investments needed to support clean energy development. Power Up’s Community Benefits Plan will uplift disadvantaged communities through high-quality jobs and workforce development and training opportunities, including more than $9 million in scholarships and internships and the creation of nearly 500 high-quality jobs, with a total community benefit investment of more than $18 million.
“We are excited to support this groundbreaking project and to partner with our sister New England states,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “As Massachusetts increases the amount of renewable energy generated in our region, the successful development of our transmission infrastructure will accelerate the path to a cleaner and more reliable electric grid for our residents and businesses.”
GIP is administered through DOE’s $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program 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, which Power Up features. In the first round of GIP, only one project received an award greater than $250 million.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the New Hampshire Department of Energy, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resource, and the Vermont Department of Public Service submitted Power Up into the second round of DOE’s GIP in April of 2024. The application was supported by Power Up’s project developers Form Energy, Eversource Energy, and National Grid.
“This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will help us expand our use of clean energy, modernize our electric grid, and create good paying jobs in the process,” said Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey. “We are grateful to Secretary Granholm and the Biden-Harris administration for this investment, which will propel us forward in meeting our clean energy goals while supporting a more resilient and reliable electric grid for all of New England.”
“The Department of Energy’s selection of Power Up New England, which comes on the heels of our recent New England Heat Pump Accelerator Coalition award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is another big win for Connecticut and our sister New England states that reflects our region’s commitment to innovation and DEEP’s successful strategy of leveraging federal funding to achieve our state’s clean energy goals in an affordable manner,” said Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes
“This award is a win-win for all stakeholders and a testament to the importance of collaboration between utilities, states, developers and other key partners as we work towards our shared goal of a clean and equitable energy future,” said Bill Quinlan, President of Transmission and Offshore Wind Projects at Eversource Energy. “We look forward to advancing our transformative transmission project, the Huntsbrook Offshore Wind Hub in southeastern Connecticut, to realize the many benefits it will deliver to our customers and the region, including a more reliable and resilient electric grid, emission reductions and significant economic development – including creating jobs and significant local benefits – over the project’s lifetime.”
“National Grid is a proud participant in the Power Up New England proposal, a multi-year initiative that seeks to leverage federal funding for regional clean energy investments,” said Lisa Wieland, President, National Grid New England. “The Department of Energy selection is an important step and we look forward to the work ahead as we engage with stakeholders to advance our shared clean energy goals.”
