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Massachusetts aims to bring 5 gigawatts of battery storage online by 2030 and another 5 GW by 2035, supported by incentives, utility procurement and new siting rules. Developers are advancing several large projects, but high grid-connection costs remain a major obstacle.
Massachusetts is targeting 5 gigawatts of battery storage by 2030 and 10 GW by 2035, while using incentives, utility procurements and permitting reforms to encourage construction. The effort has helped spur a pipeline of large projects, but high costs to connect batteries to the grid threaten to slow development.
The state’s 2035 target is the highest among 13 states that have set battery-storage procurement goals, according to the source report. Massachusetts has already exceeded an earlier goal of 1 GW by 2025, reaching more than 1.6 GW of installed capacity. The state’s policies are intended to accelerate that progress as it pursues broader clean-energy goals and grapples with high electricity prices.
Projects at different stages include the proposed 700-MW Trimount facility outside Boston, where construction is slated to begin next year, a 250-MW project whose developer recently secured $850 million in financing, and a 200-MW facility near the Rhode Island border where construction has begun. The source report says roughly half a dozen other projects are also in development. These project figures describe specific proposals and do not mean the state has already secured the full amount of capacity needed to meet its targets.
Massachusetts selected four projects totaling 1.3 GW in December 2025 to advance to contract negotiations with major utilities. A second solicitation drew 35 bids before closing earlier this month, with selected projects expected to be announced in February. Those selections and negotiations are steps toward potential contracts, not confirmation that all proposed capacity will be built.
How Batteries Could Ease Peak Demand
Battery storage can shift electricity across time: systems can charge when power is relatively cheap and plentiful, then discharge when demand rises. The state’s Clean Peak Standard pays eligible renewable-energy facilities and storage owners to supply electricity during peak-demand periods, creating an additional revenue stream that can help make projects financeable.
That flexibility could reduce reliance on more expensive or higher-emitting power during periods of heavy demand, while supporting the use of renewable generation. State officials also point to resilience benefits: stored power can help the grid manage demand and may reduce the effects of outages during extreme or erratic weather. Those benefits depend on project delivery, grid integration and how the batteries are operated; the targets themselves do not guarantee lower bills or fewer outages.
The scale of the goal matters because it requires more than announcing projects. Developers must secure contracts, permits, financing and grid connections over several years. Massachusetts’ incentives and centralized permitting changes are designed to make that process more predictable, but the reported interconnection costs show that policy support cannot remove every financial barrier.
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From Early Storage Goals to Statewide Targets
The state began its current storage-policy push in 2015 with the Energy Storage Initiative under then-Gov. Charlie Baker. It set an initial goal of 1 GW by 2025 and later surpassed it, with installed capacity exceeding 1.6 GW. Massachusetts has since adopted a much larger target: 5 GW by 2030, followed by another 5 GW by 2035.
The Clean Peak Standard, which took effect in 2020, is described in the source report as the first program of its kind. It rewards storage owners and renewable-energy facilities for delivering power during peak periods. Separate siting and permitting reforms that took effect July 1 give the state Energy Facilities Siting Board authority over large energy projects, including storage facilities of at least 100 MW. The board is required to make decisions within 15 months of an application, replacing the previous patchwork of municipal processes for those projects.
Massachusetts is not the largest U.S. storage market by installed capacity. California, for example, has about 23 GW, according to the source report. The Massachusetts distinction is its 10-GW-by-2035 target and the combination of state policies intended to support it.
“Massachusetts is really a leader in this space.”
— Erin Smith, energy and grid policy director at the Environmental League of Massachusetts
Grid Connection Costs Remain a Risk
The largest reported obstacle is the cost of connecting projects to the grid. Developers canceled plans for a 125-MW battery in Tewksbury in September, citing an estimated $65 million in necessary grid upgrades. A study by Independent System Operator New England examined likely interconnection costs for proposed projects, most of them battery developments in Massachusetts; many estimates exceeded $200 million.
Those estimates do not establish what every project will ultimately pay, and the source report does not provide a complete accounting of the study’s assumptions or final costs. It is also unclear which projects selected for negotiations will sign contracts, receive permits and financing, or proceed to construction. Announced capacity and development plans should not be confused with operating storage.
The source material does not specify the total capacity currently under contract or the amount of the 2030 target that is already assured through completed projects. The pace and cost of grid upgrades, along with the outcome of pending procurement and permitting processes, will shape how much capacity comes online.
Procurement and Permits Set the Pace
Massachusetts is expected to announce projects selected in its second storage solicitation in February, according to the source report. The four projects chosen in December 2025 are due to proceed through contract negotiations with major utilities; the results of those negotiations will clarify how much proposed capacity has a path to utility agreements.
The new siting rules also put large projects through a process with a decision deadline of 15 months after application. Developers will still need to address project-specific permits, financing and grid connections. Construction at Trimount is slated to start next year, while the 200-MW facility near the Rhode Island border is under construction and expected by the source report to be operating by year-end.
Further progress will depend on whether projects can manage interconnection costs that have already led one developer to cancel a plan. The next procurement announcements and contract outcomes will offer a clearer picture of whether Massachusetts’ policy framework is translating its ambitious targets into projects that can be built and connected.
Key Questions
What are Massachusetts’ battery-storage targets?
The state aims to have 5 GW of battery storage online by 2030 and 10 GW by 2035.
How is Massachusetts supporting battery projects?
Its support includes the Clean Peak Standard, which pays eligible storage owners and renewable-energy facilities for supplying electricity during peak-demand periods, utility procurements, and siting reforms for large projects.
Are the announced projects already operating?
No. The source report describes projects at different stages, including proposals, projects in contract negotiations and facilities under construction. Announced or selected capacity is not the same as installed capacity.
What is the main obstacle to more battery construction?
Grid interconnection costs are a major concern. Developers canceled a planned 125-MW Tewksbury project after citing $65 million in required upgrades, and a regional grid study found many estimates above $200 million for proposed projects.
When will the next storage projects be selected?
The source report says projects from the second solicitation are expected to be announced in February. It does not specify a year in the supplied material.
Source: canarymedia.com
