The governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island are joining forces to expand clean energy initiatives across the three states.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the electric distribution companies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island have released a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for clean energy and transmission from providers of Class I renewable energy sources.
The states want to "identify projects that may enable parties in each state to achieve their respective state’s clean energy goals more cost effectively than if each state were to proceed unilaterally while also complying with the applicable legal requirements of each state," according to the RFP released yesterday.
The draft seeks to allow the states to consider projects for the delivery of clean energy through traditional power purchase agreements that do not require transmission upgrades, through purchase power agreements that require transmission and through transmission projects containing clean energy delivery commitments, but without any associated power purchase agreements. The aim is to "begin a competitive bidding process to seek proposals from suppliers of clean energy resources including wind, solar, small hydro, biomass, fuel cells and other non-carbon emitting sources," according to the Associated Press.
The draft proposal will undergo a 30-day comment period, which will end March 27. After reviewing the comments, the states will issue the final RFP this spring.
"By working together with neighboring states we can make the most efficient use of our resources to attract new clean energy projects at the lowest possible cost for ratepayers while advancing our interests in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases," Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. "The joint procurement process opens the possibility of procuring large-scale projects and transmission to deliver clean energy on a scale that no single state could secure on its own."
