Governor Mills, Senators Collins & King, and Congresswoman Pingree Announce Nearly $150 Million Federal Grant to Develop World's Largest Multi-Day Energy Storage Facility in Lincoln, Maine

August 6, 2024

The innovative multi-day energy storage project wins substantial Federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of New England states' regional grant application to strengthen and modernize the regional electric grid

Governor Janet Mills, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) has awarded a $147 million grant award to support a novel and innovative multi-day energy storage system in Lincoln, Maine to enhance grid resilience and optimize the delivery of renewable energy.

The project, at the site of the former mill site in Lincoln, would be the first of its kind in New England and the largest long-duration energy storage project in the world to date. The award is part of a $389 million regional grant to New England states funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law -- supported by Maine's Congressional Delegation -- to strengthen the regional electric grid and advance the deployment of clean energy.

"Maine is a national leader in advancing clean energy and innovation, which will strengthen our economy, stabilize high energy costs driven by fossil fuels, and create good job opportunities all across our state. This award is a recognition of that leadership. Through collaboration with other New England states to develop innovative energy solutions like Power Up, Maine is taking proactive steps to ensure our energy future is clean, reliable, and affordable,"said Governor Janet Mills. "This investment will play an important role in revitalizing Lincoln, including the site of the former paper mill, providing new opportunities for rural Maine. I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for this investment and for its support of our work to build a more resilient, clean electrical grid that can withstand the impacts of a changing climate."

"A crucial aspect of the bipartisan infrastructure law I helped negotiate was the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program, which seeks to modernize our electric grid infrastructure, to allow for the deployment of energy storage and other innovative energy solutions," said U.S. Senator Susan Collins. "This investment will help revitalize the Town of Lincoln, formerly a mill town, while allowing New England to strengthen its electric grid to allow for the incorporation of new clean energy sources in the future."

"Energy storage is the key to fully unlocking the immense potential of renewable energy, and improving the resiliency of Maine's power grid," said U.S. Senator Angus King. "This first-of-its-kind energy storage system in New England will provide up to four days' worth of backup power for Maine -- a significant step forward with the extreme weather we are seeing more of. But this is not just an enormous step forward for renewables and strengthening our energy infrastructure, it's also a story of renewal for the Lincoln area. This storage system, which will be built on the former site of the Lincoln Pulp and Tissue Mill, will provide well-paying jobs and workforce development for the hardworking men and women of Lincoln and its neighboring communities."

"Boosting grid resilience and advancing renewable energy storage innovation is key to unlocking a clean energy future. Thanks to the historic investments made by the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that future is well within reach," said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. "This groundbreaking multi-day energy storage system in Lincoln will be the largest of its kind in the world and the first in New England, revolutionizing our grid resilience and renewable energy capacity. This award is a testament to Maine's leadership in sustainable innovation, and will pave the way for stable energy costs, job creation, and a robust response to climate change."

"We are thrilled to welcome this significant investment from the U.S. Department of Energy, which further makes Lincoln a leader in technology and innovation," said Richard Bronson, Town Manager of Lincoln. "This award will enable us to welcome cutting-edge technology that supports our town, our state, and our region by creating jobs, strengthening the electrical grid, and enabling the delivery of clean, reliable energy to power homes and businesses."

The regional proposal, Power Up New England (Power Up), was selected through the U.S. DOE's competitive Grid Innovation Program. Power Up features significant investments in regional electric infrastructure, including upgrades to points of interconnection in Massachusetts and Connecticut to prepare the onshore transmission system for up to 4,800 megawatts (MW) of additional offshore wind energy.

Power Up partner, Form Energy, will deploy an 85 MW energy storage project at the Lincoln Technology Park in Lincoln, Maine. Utilizing iron-air technology, the battery will be able to continuously discharge energy for up to 100 hours or just over four days.

The project will also strengthen the transmission system to support the delivery of higher loads of power from renewables, including nearby onshore wind turbines. The award signifies meaningful progress toward Maine's goal of 400 MW of energy storage installed by the end of 2030.

Together, these investments will provide the New England region with access to thousands of megawatts of clean energy, greater resource diversity, and increased reliability while lowering consumer costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are pleased to be selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for the Power Up New England initiative to deploy an 85 MW/8500 MWh multi-day battery system - which marks a significant milestone on multiple fronts," said Mateo Jaramillo, CEO & Co-Founder of Form Energy. "Located at the site of a former paper mill in rural Maine, this iron-air battery system will have the most energy capacity of any battery system announced yet in the world. We are committed to continuing to work with the State of Maine, local community leaders and the Penobscot Nation to deploy this project in a manner that drives local job growth and addresses the needs of the community. Additionally, we are excited to deploy our multi-day energy storage technology to help solve the challenges associated with transitioning New England's energy system to be more sustainable and resilient. Overall, we are deeply thankful to the team of local, state and federal partners for bringing us on board and supporting us in our contribution towards the Power Up New England project - a transformative investment in the future of clean energy for New England and America."

"By embracing regional collaboration, Maine and New England are advancing necessary upgrades that will make the electric grid more resilient and allow it to deliver more clean energy to households and businesses," said Dan Burgess, Director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office. "I thank DOE and the Biden-Harris Administration for this award and for its continued support of ongoing efforts to decarbonize and strengthen electric grid infrastructure across Maine and New England."

"Extreme weather events fueled by climate change will continue to strain the nation's aging transmission systems, but the Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda will ensure America's power grid can provide reliable, affordable power," said Maria Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy. "The projects selected today will catalyze nearly $10 billion total in public and private investment to increase the capacity of our existing transmission system by leveraging innovative grid technologies and solutions. We look forward to working with the New England States as we support projects that will harden systems, improve energy reliability and affordability -- all while generating union jobs for highly skilled workers."

Today's award is part of more than $663 million in competitive grant funding already awarded to Maine by the Biden-Harris Administration under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In total, Maine has been awarded $2.6 billion from the legislation to strengthen roads and bridges, broadband, water infrastructure, public transportation, electric vehicle charging options, clean energy, climate resiliency, and more.

In July, Governor Mills announced that Maine and four other New England states will receive a total of $450 million in federal funding to accelerate the adoption of heat pump technology in residential single-family homes and multifamily buildings across the region. The five northeast states -- Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island -- were selected for the grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, which is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Also in July, Governor Mills announced $6.6 million in grant awards to six Maine utilities and technology providers to deploy electrical grid resilience projects in Maine communities. The awards, selected through the Maine Grid Resilience Program with funds awarded to the state under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants, will improve the resilience of Maine's electrical grid to better withstand extreme storms while enhancing clean energy deployment and job opportunities.

Additionally, GEO announced that Maine joined a total of 10 states in the Northeast signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for improved regional planning of electricity transmission to create a stronger, more reliable, and more efficient grid and accelerate the clean energy transition. Other states joining the MOU include Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Improving interregional electricity transmission planning and coordination can stabilize energy costs by increasing access to affordable clean energy while bolstering grid reliability at times of high energy demand and improving resilience against extreme weather.