New England’s electrical grid is set to receive a major upgrade.
The Biden-Harris Administration, on Monday, announced a $2.2 billion investment into the U.S. energy network which, according to the Department of Energy, will “protect against growing threats of extreme weather, lower costs for communities, and catalyze additional grid capacity to meet load growth stemming from an increase in manufacturing and data centers.”
Among the projects awarded funding is a proposal called “Power Up New England,” which will see $389,345,755 in federal support for an interstate project that aims to “reduce wholesale energy supply costs for New England customers by about $1.55 billion and create new offshore wind interconnections in Massachusetts and in Connecticut, which — in addition to enabling 4,800 MW of offshore wind—will eliminate fault risk for the region’s largest zero-carbon generator by 70%.”
A further about $500 million is expected to come from states and private companies participating in the project.
“Massachusetts is moving full speed ahead on clean energy and climatetec. These game-changing federal funds will mean more jobs, lower energy costs for families and businesses, and cleaner air for all. We’re grateful to DOE for the recognition and support,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
The announcement comes, according to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, as the nation comes to grips with the realities of a changing climate and the effect it has on our vulnerable electrical grid.
“The first half of 2024 has already broken records for the hottest days in Earth’s history, and as extreme weather continues to hit every part of the country, we must act with urgency to strengthen our aging grid to protect American communities,” she said during a Monday Zoom call with the media.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in the most crucial component of the nation’s infrastructure, expanding and hardening the grid to allow more resilient, clean power to reach more households, and support the ongoing manufacturing boom—all while creating thousands of local jobs,” Granholm said.
Power Up New England, according to Gov. Maura Healey’s administration, “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.”
The plan is backed by plan backed by 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.
“We’ve done the hard work to coordinate with ISO New England and developers to ensure we’re making smart, targeted investments to ready our electric grid. DOE’s funding announcement is the perfect crescendo to recent developments in regional transmission policy,” Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said in a statement.
