Maine enters agreement with Northeast states to improve grid, ease transition to clean energy

An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Maine joined nine other Northeast states on Tuesday in signing a memorandum of understanding to coordinate efforts to establish a more efficient electric grid to accelerate the clean energy transition.

The states agreed to coordinate regional planning of power transmission after requesting last year that the U.S. Department of Energy convene a first-in-the-nation multi-state initiative to explore ways to increase the flow of electricity between three different planning regions in the Northeast and assess offshore wind infrastructure.

Dan Burgess, director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, wrote in a statement that investments in regional coordination and transmission planning are essential as Maine reduces its reliance on fossil fuels.

“Maine’s participation in the collaborative will allow the state to engage in important regional transmission planning to ensure reliable, affordable, clean power is delivered to Maine people and businesses,” Burgess wrote.

In addition to Maine, the other states in the agreement include Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The initiative, known as the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission , also announced on Tuesday plans for a strategic action plan to promote the development of interregional transmission projects for offshore wind off the Northeast coast.

This plan is expected to identify barriers to this type of development, solutions to address them, as well as coordination on technical standards to ensure future interoperability as projects come on-line at different times.

Maine has increased its reliance on solar energy in recent years, though has faced startup delays due to interconnection issues and objections to how the transition has been subsidized.

The state is also planning to develop an offshore wind port on Sears Island. The state Legislature debated the location of the port this past session, weighing short- versus long-term environmental gains, as well as economic opportunities . Also this spring, Maine got the green light to develop the nation’s first floating offshore wind research site in federal waters.

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