ISO New England has launched its transitional cluster study of 26 interconnection requests with a combined summer rated capacity of about 8 GW, the grid operator announced Monday.
The review includes 21 battery energy storage projects, two solar and three wind projects, with most of the interconnection requests in Massachusetts, the grid operator said.
“More than 50 other requests with previously completed studies, most of which have signed interconnection agreements, remain in the queue and can continue working toward completing the interconnection process,” the ISO said.
Information on the projects can be found in the ISO’s public generator interconnection queue.
The largest project included in the transitional cluster study is SouthCoast Wind 1, at 1,200 MW. Massachusetts and Rhode Island selected the project as part of a coordinated procurement in 2024.
There is a 706 MW battery project in Bristol, Massachusetts, and slate of others rated at 200 MW or greater in the cluster study. It also includes about 350 MW of solar resources.
New England’s cluster-study was developed as a result of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders that aimed to address interconnection queue backlogs by prioritizing non-speculative projects. The ISO said its new approach institutes a “first-ready, first-served” process, “studying all interconnection requests as a group, or cluster.”
“Additionally, developers must meet increased financial and site control requirements, and face potential penalties for withdrawing projects from the queue,” the grid operator said. “The ISO and transmission owners would face penalties for any delays in future cluster studies.”
The transitional cluster study is the first under the new framework, and is expected to be completed in August 2026. The request window for the first full cluster study will open in October 2026.
