Maine joins 9 other states promoting regional planning to boost clean energy use

Maine joins nine other Northeastern states in pledging to coordinate efforts to improve electricity transmission reliability and streamline the transition to clean energy.

The Governor’s Office of Energy has signed an agreement with Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Among other goals, it establishes common technical standards for offshore wind transmission to reduce the costs of meeting federal and state targets and be compatible with future grid-connection projects.

State officials will collaborate on planning and development of regional transmission infrastructure and may partner with utilities, manufacturers, environmental groups and others.

Jeff Marks, executive director of ClimateWork Maine, a business group focused on climate change, said the framework agreed to by the states “could make it easier to build transmission lines and move electricity across states to meet growing energy demands.” Cooperation between states could also help modernize the electricity grid and facilitate clean energy planning for renewable energy sources such as solar, offshore wind and hydropower, he said in a statement.

Marks said the need for “audio transmission policies and designs will become even more critical” as electric vehicles, building heat pumps, data centers and artificial intelligence gain traction.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in May issued long-term guidance to U.S. power grid operators aimed at improving their response to growing threats from extreme weather events and increased electrification needed to heat and cool buildings and operate vehicles.

ISO-New England, the region’s grid operator, has filed a request with FERC for new planning processes to ensure that future transmission upgrades take into account state clean energy policies. This would allow ISO to provide technical assistance for potential transmission projects.

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