Megawatts for Maryland Request for Information

Request for Information

Megawatts for Maryland
The Maryland Energy Administration is pleased to announce the intent to launch the Megawatts for Maryland Program in Fiscal Year 2027. The program’s purpose is to award grants to offset a portion of the project costs associated with the development and construction of large-scale renewable energy generation and energy storage projects. MEA will solicit closed bids from project developers to award grants in a cost-effective manner and promote renewable energy and energy storage in the State of Maryland. The Program was established by the Maryland General Assembly’s passage of the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026 and is codified in §9–20E–01 et seq. of the State Government Article, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This Request for Information (RFI) is seeking preliminary feedback from project developers, contractors, financial investors, utilities, local governments, landowners, community organizations, Maryland residents, and other stakeholders to inform the program parameters and process.

Please note: this document is not a complete and full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Final program parameters and application instructions will be included in the upcoming FOA, expected to be issued in Autumn 2026. Please check the program webpage frequently for updates, follow our social media, or click to subscribe for MEA Agency Updates.
Anticipated Program Structure

The following information is anticipated for the FY27 Megawatts for Maryland Program.

Anticipated Budget: up to $100 million
Anticipated Program Type: Competitive Auction (closed bids)
Eligible Bidders: Renewable energy and energy storage project developers
Anticipated Eligible Activities: The purpose is to award grants to offset a portion of the project costs associated with the development and construction of:
- Tier 1 renewable energy generation (that does not participate in net energy metering)
- Energy storage (co-located with generation, or not co-located with generation, or stand-alone)
Selection of Grant Recipients: MEA may reject bids that do not meet specific eligibility requirements and award grants to eligible bidders requesting the lowest price per megawatt ($/MW) from the auction.
Deadline for Feedback

MEA requests responses be submitted via this form by Friday, June 5, 2026. MEA may continue to receive comments after the deadline, but comments received by June 5th may be most impactful.
Topics for Feedback

MEA is interested in receiving feedback on the following topics. Respondents may respond to some or all of the questions.
1. Project Types and Pipeline
2. Maryland Market Dynamics
3. Program Eligibility
4. Project Implementation
5. Financing
6. Locational Value
7. Additional Feedback
Instructions to Submit

MEA requests that all respondents complete Section 1: Contacts & Communication.

Then, you have 2 options to provide feedback:
1. You may choose to enter your responses directly into this form under Section 2: Questions for Feedback on a question-by-question basis. A response to every question is not required. Then click Submit at the bottom under Section 3.
2. You may choose to skip Section 2 and instead submit a written response as a Word document or PDF by uploading the file through the File Upload button under Section 3: Submission & File Upload. Then click Submit at the bottom under Section 3.
If you would like to save your progress and return to the form later, you must create a Jotform account. Without an account, your progress cannot be saved. After submission, you will have the option to edit your response.
Section 1: Contacts & Communication (Required)
Which of the Following Best Describes You?
Organization Name (if applicable)
Contact Name

First NameLast Name
Contact Email
example@example.com
Contact Phone Number
Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.
Which of the following best describes you? (check all that apply)

Other
Which Tier 1 renewable(s) do you or your organization typically develop or support? (check all that apply)
Would you like to subscribe to any of the following email listservs? (Check All That Apply)
How should MEA stay connected and follow up on information provided in this RFI? Are there existing forums, events, or conferences that MEA should speak to about Megawatts for Maryland? Are there email listservs or intermediary groups who could help spread the word about program updates?
Section 2: Questions for Feedback (Optional)
- What project types does your organization typically develop or support — Tier 1 renewable energy generation only, Tier 1 renewable energy generation co-located with energy storage, Tier 1 renewable energy generation and energy storage not co-located, energy storage only? What drives your decisions about whether to pair storage with generation, and what storage durations do you typically deploy?
- What stage of development are the projects you are considering developing or supporting for the auction? Provide total number of projects and megawatts for each stage? How many Maryland projects and megawatts are already in the PJM Interconnection Queue?
- How would you characterize the potential effectiveness of Megawatts for Maryland to incentivize projects ? In the absence of Megawatts for Maryland, what share of your organization's Maryland pipeline do you expect to commission within the next 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years? What are the primary barriers for projects that would not proceed in the absence of supplemental funding?
- What market dynamics have made Maryland attractive or unattractive for the development of relevant renewable energy or energy storage projects over the past five years?
- What are the opportunities for and risks to development today and moving forward?
- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026, “eligible bidders shall submit competitive bids by specifying the actual amount of megawatts to be generated by the renewable energy project” and “a price per megawatt that would be required from the auction.” Are there categories of projects or project characteristics that a simple price-per-megawatt ranking would systematically undervalue or overlook, and that your organization believes represent high value for Maryland ratepayers?
- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026 MEA shall only accept bids from “renewable energy project developers”. Who should be eligible to submit bids and who should not? What proof of eligibility should MEA require at bid submission to fulfill this requirement?
- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026 MEA shall only accept bids from project developers that “provide proof of financial integrity,” “post a bond or other similar instrument,” and “demonstrate the ability to finance, execute, and commission projects”. What proof of eligibility should MEA require at bid submission to fulfill these requirements?
- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026 MEA shall only accept bids from project developers that “provide evidence that is satisfactory to the administration that awarded funds are necessary for the renewable energy project to be constructed.” What proof of eligibility should MEA require at bid submission to fulfill this requirement?
- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026, MEA may add additional minimum eligibility requirements “in the public interest” (e.g. to reduce the risk that a project is terminated rather than completed). With that said, please answer the following questions:
- What additional minimum eligibility requirements should be specified and why?
- Should Megawatts for Maryland support projects that connect to the transmission system but not the distribution network or vice versa? Or should Megawatts for Maryland be open to both types of projects? How does the interconnection point make a difference to the project characteristics, timeline, process, or financing?
- Should MEA set a minimum storage requirement per MW nameplate capacity or storage duration for storage development?
- For Fiscal Year 2027, MEA expects to begin accepting bids for grant funding in Autumn 2026. What project specifications (if any) beyond nameplate capacity (in megawatts) and price per megawatt should be available at the time of submission?
- Should MEA require projects to be located in areas that are most beneficial to the grid as a condition of eligibility?
- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Relief Act of 2026, MEA “shall set delivery deadlines.” How should MEA structure delivery milestones to reflect realistic project development timelines in Maryland while maintaining accountability? What milestone structure and timeline assumptions are most consistent with how projects in your portfolio actually develop? Which milestones are sequential and which activities can be completed in parallel? Please describe or upload a Gantt chart/ timeline for projected project development from start-to-finish – starting with the immediate execution of a grant agreement through completion. Breakdown milestones and length of time between each milestone.
- Gantt Chart or Timeline (File Upload)
  
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- In accordance with the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026, MEA “may grant extensions for delivery goals that are delayed due to interconnection or permitting challenges or delays if the developer provides documentation of the challenge or delay.” What are typical causes of delay and what are rarer causes of delay?
- How has the loss of the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in some cases and changes to the ITC in other cases changed project economics? (E.g. Which project stages are most affected?
- For a development project currently in the PJM Interconnection Queue, what percentage of financial support is needed to keep the project viable? What about projects in earlier stages of development?
- What are the current revenue sources and expected returns on investment (ROI) of projects in your pipeline (e.g. wholesale markets, PPAs, renewable energy credits)?
- What financing structures do your organization typically use for projects (e.g. tax equity, project finance debt, balance sheet, or other)? How has the availability and cost of these financing mechanisms changed recently, and what are the primary unresolved barriers to reaching financial close on Maryland projects?
- What other federal, state, or local financial support programs are relevant or informative to the design of this program? How does potential stacking of incentives affect project viability and the need for Megawatts for Maryland?
- What is the typical all-in cost per megawatt range anticipated for projects eligible for Megawatts for Maryland? Is there any cost break by planning a generator and energy storage project together, or are the costs simply additive?
- Has your organization conducted transmission or distribution deferral analyses or identified distribution-level grid constraints as part of project siting in Maryland or comparable markets? How does that type of locational value factor into your development strategy, if at all?
- How familiar is your organization with the reliability requirements for Maryland’s Locational Deliverability Areas (LDAs)? Do you actively pursue capacity resource qualification in your Maryland development strategy, and what are the primary barriers to doing so?
- Does your organization actively optimize project siting for Locational Marginal Price (LMP)? How does anticipated LMP — including the congestion and marginal loss components — factor into your siting decisions, and at what point in the development process is locational analysis typically conducted?
- In your experience developing projects in PJM, which Maryland load zones or node clusters have offered the most favorable locational economics, and what grid characteristics drive that value?
- What barriers exist to siting projects at locations most valuable to Maryland’s grid? What additional data, market signals, or program incentives would most effectively encourage your organization to site projects at locations with higher locational value to Maryland's grid and ratepayers?
- If MEA required projects to be located in areas that are most beneficial to the grid as a condition of eligibility, how would you demonstrate value to the grid? Would value be measured in lower costs or in higher grid reliability/resiliency? How would an eligibility requirement for site location in a grid constrained area affect project economics and what additional level of support would be needed?
- Is there any other information that MEA should consider while developing the parameters of the Megawatts for Maryland Program?
- Section 3: Submission & File Upload
- If you would like to attach a written response to the RFI questions or other documentation, please upload a file here.
  
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- Stakeholder Updates
  
  Please check the program webpage frequently for updates, follow our social media, or click to subscribe for MEA Agency Updates.
  
  Questions
  
  Please direct questions to MEA by sending an email to megawatts.mea@maryland.gov
  
  NOTICE
  
  Please note that information submitted to this RFI is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act (PIA). Upon request for information from a third party, MEA is required to make an independent determination whether the information must be disclosed under the PIA. Designating information as confidential does not guarantee that it can be withheld from disclosure.
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