The Duck Curve#new england
Vermont Gas will fund and own Riggs Meadow ground loops; Dandelion drills
Dandelion Energy said on October 1, 2026 that Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) will pay the upfront cost of geothermal ground loops at Riggs Meadow, a 44-unit affordable housing development in Hinesburg, Vermont, with Dandelion designing and drilling; drilling is to begin in early 2027. VGS's June 27, 2025 filing in Vermont PUC Case No. 25A-0742 puts the $400,000 loop scope on VGS, $260,000 of it from the Climate Action and Innovation Budget in its Alternative Regulation Plan; the Department of Public Service did not object on July 28, 2025.
Rhode Island launches $32 million HOMES heat pump rebate for multifamily
The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources said on September 23, 2026 that it launched the $32 million federal Home Owner Managing Energy Savings (HOMES) program, approved by DOE, to fund heat pump installations in income-eligible multifamily buildings of five or more units at up to $16,000 per housing unit; OER calls Rhode Island the first New England state to launch HOMES. The program page requires modeled energy savings of at least 20 percent and at least half of units occupied by households under 80 percent of area median income.
East Point withdraws 125 MW Tewksbury battery over grid upgrade costs
Hillman Energy Center, East Point Energy's project company, moved on September 1, 2026 to withdraw its 125 MW / 500 MWh Tewksbury, Massachusetts battery from the Energy Facilities Siting Board (docket EFSB 26-02), saying ISO New England's Transitional Cluster Study left the project economically unviable. The study's final report lists $65.3 million of upgrades for the 125 MW queue position at the Tewksbury 115 kV substation; the board had approved the project on June 30, 2026 with what the motion counts as 104 conditions.
Maine selects Clearway's 800 MW wind project and a 1,200 MW Avangrid line
The Maine Public Utilities Commission selected Clearway Energy Group's 800 MW onshore wind project and named Avangrid Networks' 1,200 MW transmission line its preferred proposal on August 25, 2026, under the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program (Docket No. 2026-00033). Maine will contract for about 600 MW of the output, with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island sharing the line's costs and Maine paying less than 11 percent.
