Massachusetts government leaders and project developers ceremonially broke ground on a major offshore wind terminal in the port city of Salem at the former site of a coal plant.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have delayed their much-anticipated coordinated offshore wind solicitation by 30 days to account for the effects of the U.S. Department of Energy’s recent funding award.

Massachusetts’ 2023/24 legislative session closed in the morning of Aug. 1 without any significant climate or clean energy legislation despite broad agreement on proposed clean energy permitting and siting reforms.

With the end of Massachusetts’ legislative session looming, lawmakers are on the clock to reach an agreement on a major climate bill centered around clean energy permitting and siting reform.

Panelists at a forum convened by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Federal and Regional Energy Affairs said advanced transmission technologies will be essential to limiting transmission costs.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has expedited the state’s review process for municipal aggregation plans.

Ten East Coast states signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a framework to coordinate interregional transmission planning and development.

Massachusetts’ new Office of Energy Transformation will focus on cutting peaker plant emissions, eliminating the state’s reliance on the Everett Marine Terminal LNG import facility, and financing distribution grid upgrades that minimizes costs.

Early and meaningful engagement with host communities will be an essential component of expediting energy permitting and siting processes, panelists said at a New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable.