Pull to refresh
Logo
Daily Brief
Following
Why Ranks Sign Up
ISO New England

ISO New England

Regional Transmission Organization

Appears in 3 stories

Stories

America's grid-scale battery buildout

Built World

Managing grid transition with 18,000 MW of battery storage in interconnection queue

Maine had no utility-scale battery storage until Plus Power's 175-megawatt Cross Town facility in Gorham began operations on February 11, 2026. It can power 19,000 homes for two hours and store surplus wind power from northern Maine for dispatch to Boston during peak demand — the largest on the New England grid at the time.

Updated May 29

New England clean energy connect transmission line

Built World

Grid operator receiving NECEC power

New England has paid some of the highest electricity prices in the country for decades, hostage to constrained natural gas pipelines that spike costs every winter. On January 16, 2026, a $1.6 billion transmission line began delivering 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the region—enough to meet 20% of Massachusetts' electricity needs and save ratepayers an estimated $50 million annually.

Updated May 26

Quebec's power reaches Massachusetts after a decade of delays

Built World

Grid operator integrating NECEC power

For 40 years, transmission bottlenecks and opposition blocked Hydro-Québec from selling more power to New England. On January 16, 2026, a 145-mile power line through Maine began delivering 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydroelectricity to Massachusetts—20% of the state's needs and the largest clean energy transmission addition to the region in decades. The line went dark when a winter storm hit 10 days later.

Updated May 21