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Commission Issues Order on Long-Term Storage Solicitation
On July 27, 2026 the Massachusetts DPU issued an order on DOER’s proposal for the Section 83E Round 2 long-term storage solicitation.
Among other things the DPU:
(1) approves the proposed “timetable and method of solicitation of long-term contracts for energy storage systems as it relates to environmental attributes”;
(2) denies the proposal “as it relates to energy services using an indexed storage credit mechanism,” saying that “Including energy services in this solicitation is not required by Section 83E and the indexed storage credit mechanism proposed here requires further investigation and stakeholder input”;
(3) “supports the allowance… for surplus interconnection service if the original interconnection customer in the arrangement is currently receiving capacity network resource interconnection service,” but “declines to make requested changes to several interconnection requirements and encourages bidders to attend the bidders conference for requested clarifications”;
(4) “declines to accept recommendations to prescribe additional weighting or scoring requirements for distribution projects but approves the proposed minimum bid size, prohibition on aggregation, site-control requirement, and the 250 to 300 MW target”;
(5) “directs DOER to clarify that a distribution project will not be ineligible solely because it participated in an applicable alternative utility tariff, pilot, or offering if it satisfies certain operational requirements”; and
(6) “approves the bid fees and contract security requirements and declines to make recommended changes.”
