Maryland's first bulk energy storage procurement under the Next Generation Energy Act yielded awards for two transmission-connected projects totaling 440 MW and 1,760 MWh, the state public service commission announced Thursday. The selections fell short of the 800-MW target for the first round, even as PJM Interconnection faces a capacity shortfall of 6.8 GW for the 2028-2029 delivery year, up 300 MW from the previous period, with capacity prices remaining at the $325/MW-day cap.
The finalists are Flatiron Energy's 400 MW/1,600 MWh Chalk Point Storage Project in south-central Maryland and REV Renewables' 40 MW/160 MWh Jade Meadow III Battery Storage Project in the far western part of the state. Both will receive flat pricing for 15-year terms at a combined cost of 6.98 cents/month for the average Maryland residential customer. Flatiron's project will be located at NRG's oil- and gas-fired Chalk Point power plant in Prince George's County, while REV will site its project on a portion of a reclaimed coal mine in Garrett County.
Evan Vaughan, executive director of MAREC Action, said the selections will help mitigate the effects of PJM's high capacity prices. "These projects can help meet growing electricity demand while reducing exposure to volatile capacity prices that ultimately affect customers' bills," Vaughan said. The commission chose not to award the 500-MW/3,000-MWh Oystercatcher Energy Storage Project nor a 135-MW/540-MWh expansion Flatiron requested for Chalk Point in a revised filing after the application window closed. Commission Chair Kumar Barve called the award a milestone while acknowledging its relatively modest contribution.
What remains unknown is whether the second solicitation round will close the gap. By law, Maryland must open bidding for the second round by Jan. 1, 2027, and announce awards by Oct. 1, 2027. Barve said the next round "is expected to attract many more offers due to a pool of over 40 additional energy storage projects from PJM's Cycle 1 interconnection process," but the commission has not indicated whether those projects will meet the combined 1.6 GW statutory requirement or how local stakeholder engagement in Harford County might affect Oystercatcher's potential participation.