Massachusetts selects 1.2GW of BESS through RFP

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Massachusetts’s Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has completed the evaluation of bids received in response to the Section 83E Storage request for proposals (RFP), selecting projects totalling 1,268MW of energy storage capacity.

DOER selected projects Energizar and Salt Cod from developer FlatIron Energy, River Mill Storage from developer Rhynland Energy, and Trimount ESS from developer Jupiter Power, for a total of 1,268 MW of energy storage capacity.

The Salt Cod battery energy storage system (BESS) was proposed with a capacity of 168MW, at the former coal-fired Montaup Power Plant.

According to FlatIron, Energizar will have a capacity of 250MW/1,000MWh and will commence operations in Q2 2027.

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Jupiter Power’s Trimount ESS will have a capacity of 700MW and will be constructed at the site of a former ExxonMobil oil depot.

Rhynland has not listed the capacity for its River Mill Storage BESS, but given the other projects’ capacities, it will likely have a capacity of around 150MW.

Massachusetts’s electric distribution companies (EDCs) and DOER issued the RFP in summer 2025.

In May 2025, the DOER and the EDCs, which are also the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs), initiated efforts to secure 5,000MW of energy storage by 2030. They filed a draft RFP with the MA Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for 1,500MW of mid-duration ESS.

The state’s EDCs include Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil. Unitil is also referred to as Fitchburg Gas & Electric Company. National Grid functions through either Massachusetts Electric Company or Nantucket Electric Company. Eversource is also known as NSTAR Electric Company.

The approved RFP for 1,500MW of mid-duration BESS marks the start of a phased procurement plan. It will be succeeded by 1,000MW due by 31 July 2026, another 1,000MW by 31 July 2027, with the remaining capacity scheduled for 31 July 2030.

In November 2024, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey enacted a comprehensive energy bill. This legislation mandates increasing the procurement of ESS to 5,000MW by 31 July 2030.

The final acceptance of bids and the awarding of contracts for the recently accepted projects depend on successfully negotiating mutually acceptable long-term agreements between the bidders and each of the EDCs, along with obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals for the contracts, as outlined in the RFP.

The Energy Storage Summit USA will be held from 24-25 March 2026, in Dallas, TX. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics like FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and managing the BESS supply chain. For complete information, visit the Energy Storage Summit USA website.

26 November 2026
9am GMT / 1pm GST
In this webinar, Florian Didier and Salomé Perperot from Clean Horizon share the approach they use when supporting IPPs through optimiser selection and contract negotiation across Europe. The presentation will be followed by a live Q&A session in which attendees can put their own questions to the speakers. Who should attend: IPPs and developers, asset owners and investors, lenders and financial advisors, and anyone involved in the commercial structuring of battery storage projects.
22 February 2027
InterContinental London - The O2, London, UK
The Future of Energy Storage Starts Here Three days in London where developers, IPPs, investors, utilities and the manufacturers building the technology come to close deals, not swap business cards. If you need to be in the room with the people deploying capital into European storage, this is that room.
20 April 2027
Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel, Dallas, Texas, Dallas
Policy, Procurement and Power Demand: Defining the Next Chapter for Energy Storage. Two days in Dallas where developers, IPPs, investors, utilities and the manufacturers building the technology come to close deals, not swap business cards. If you need to be in the room with the people deploying capital into US storage, this is that room.

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