New England States Seek Funding for Transmission, Energy Storage Infrastructure

04:00PM / Saturday, April 20, 2024Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — A coalition of New England states jointly submitted two applications to secure federal funding to support investments in large-scale transmission and energy storage infrastructure to enhance grid reliability and resilience across the region.

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Maine Governor's Energy Office, the New Hampshire Department of Energy, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, and the Vermont Department of Public Service submitted applications for the Power Up New England project, and, in collaboration with the State of New York, the Clean Resilience Link project for the second round of funding through the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Grid Innovation Program (GIP). The projects feature transformational investments in the power grid to strengthen grid reliability and resilience, unlock additional supplies of renewable resources, and reduce energy burdens across the New England region and beyond.

Power Up New England features new and upgraded transmission points of interconnection in Southeast Massachusetts and Southeast Connecticut to unlock up to 4,800 megawatts (MW) of additional offshore wind and innovative battery energy storage systems in Southwest Connecticut and Northern Maine to enhance grid resilience and optimize delivery of renewable energy. Project developers supporting the Power Up New England application include Elevate Renewables, Eversource Energy, a multi-day energy storage technology provider, and National Grid.

Clean Resilience Link features an interregional transmission upgrade that would enable operation of a New York-New England transmission line at 345 kilovolts (kV), increasing transfer capacity between the two regions by up to 1,000 MW. Project developers supporting the Clean Resilience Link application include National Grid and Reactive Technologies.

"The Northeast region offers DOE two compelling applications, highlighting our strong regional ties," said?Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. "As we work to achieve our climate goals and increase the generation of renewable energy in the region, we need to invest in our transmission system and storage resources to deliver clean energy to our residents and businesses."

The GIP, administered through DOE's $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, is intended to fund projects that improve grid reliability and resilience using advanced technologies and innovative

partnerships and approaches. The maximum award per project is $250 million, or $1 billion for a project with significant transmission investment, like Power Up New England and Clean Resilience Link. Up to $1.82 billion in funding is available through the second round of the GIP. The deadline to submit applications to DOE is April 17, 2024.

In pursuing federal funds, the New England states seek to capture significant benefits for the region and its 15 million residents and businesses. Funding through the DOE program would offset costs for transmission and storage infrastructure projects that support clean energy goals, enhance operational flexibility, grid reliability, and resilience during extreme weather events and periods of system stress, and provide necessary innovation in project planning and development.

The applications include robust Community Benefits Plans that describe the actions project developers will take related to community engagement, workforce development, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. An important objective of DOE's GIP and of state energy offices is to advance the interests of and opportunities for disadvantaged communities as energy infrastructure is developed across the nation.

Last September, the New England states issued an?Invitational Call for Innovative Project Design Concepts?to solicit proposals for possible submission to DOE for the second round of the GIP. Project proposals were due November 17, 2023. The New England states evaluated the proposals, with technical assistance from ISO New England, the region's grid operator. In January, the states submitted concept papers for Power Up New England and Clean Resilience Link, for which they received encouragement from DOE to submit full applications. ISO New England continued to provide valuable technical assistance to the states throughout the application process.

DOE is expected to announce project selections this Fall.

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Two Men Found Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking

01:23PM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, May 6, Yebin Mai, 32 of Staten Island, NY and Dem Wu, age 52 of Staten Island, NY, were found guilty by jury of their peers in Berkshire Superior Court.

Yebin Mai was found guilty of two charges: Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds and Witness Intimidation. Dem Wu was found guilty of Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.

According to a report, on July 30, 2020, State Police responded to a request for assistance from the Eversource Electric Company. The emergency dispatcher stated that two Eversource linemen were attempting to fix an electrical problem when they had a confrontation with individuals at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy. The residence belonged to Bin Huang after he purchased it in 2017 for $200,000 cash.

When state troopers arrived, the linemen stated that they responded to a report from a resident at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy claiming that power was fluctuating. When the linemen arrived at the house, they observed severely damaged wires and insulators leading from the roadside poles to the residence. When the Eversource linemen approached the house a man came out to meet them. The man, later identified as Yebin Mai, spoke limited English; therefore, communication between the Eversource linemen and resident became difficult. The linemen tried to explain that they would need to turn the power off to conduct a safety check of the electric meter and surrounding electrical connections. Mai became agitated. He handed the linemen an envelope filled with money later determined to be $600. The linemen attempted to return the envelope multiple times, but Mai would not take it. The linemen decided to leave the property. They called the police and waited for them to arrive, stated a report.

A trooper and Eversource supervisor arrived on the road at the end of 72 Jackson Road's driveway. A short time later, Mai drove down the driveway and attempted to leave in a pick-up truck with New York plates. There were two other passengers in the truck, including Dem Wu.

The trooper instructed Mai to stop and turn off the truck which he obeyed. All the individuals returned to the residence so the linemen could complete their inspection.

In a police report, the following items were observed at and around the house:

4 separate electrical meters in poorly constructed boxes on the side of the house
Some melted wires and metal around the meter boxes (believed to be due to an excessive amount of energy being drawn through the wires)
Evidence of a small fire around one of the meter boxes
A smell of fresh grown marijuana (which grew once power was cut to the house and fans in the residence stopped running)
The sound of multiple fans inside the residence with no visible air ventilation system on the outside of the house
Windows with curtains drawn and boarded shut
A backyard covered in debris from a renovation, green planning pots, and large florescent light fixtures
Ring door cameras
A small path in the woods that ended in a pile of used potting soil and roots and stalks of freshly harvested marijuana plants

Additionally, Eversource reported that the monthly electric bill for 72 Jackson Road was approximately $10,000 per month, much higher than the average homeowner's bill.

The individuals on the property were questioned and ultimately allowed to leave. On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts State Police, including the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and a member of the DEA arrived at 72 Jackson Road to execute a search warrant.

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