The Maine Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has advanced to the next phase of its competitive solicitation of energy storage capacity under 35-A M.R.S. § 10313.

Maine law requires DOER to initiate and conduct a competitive procurement in 2026 (P.L. 2025, Ch. 476, § A-18), and as of April 2026, the agency is actively seeking between 200 MW and 300 MW of new energy storage projects.

This solicitation represents a key step toward Maine’s statutory goal of deploying 400 MW of installed energy storage by 2030. This procurement contemplates projects interconnected at both the transmission and distribution levels.

Following the release of the Draft Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 27, 2026, the DOER held a public information webinar on April 16 to walk stakeholders through the eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria. The comment period on the draft RFP closed on April 20, 2026.

Looking ahead, the DOER has outlined an expedited timeline. After reviewing stakeholder comments, the agency intends to submit a final RFP to the Maine Public Utilities Commission for approval in the second quarter of 2026. Once approved, the final RFP will be issued in the third quarter, with proposal submissions and final project selections expected by the end of 2026.