"Megawatts for Maryland" program aims to lower electricity costs, Gov. Moore says
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has introduced a program to help residents lower electricity costs by increasing clean energy generation efforts in the state.
"Megawatts for Maryland" is a $200 million project developed and administrated by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), said a press release issued by the governor's office.
"We're using every tool at our disposal to bring Marylanders relief as energy costs skyrocket in our region and across the country," said Governor Moore. "This program will tackle rising electricity demand with cleaner, cheaper, in-state energy generation that will drive down costs for the long-term."
The program will give grants to energy and storage developers. Grants will help with costs relating to the development and construction of grid-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects. The Moore administration says the initiative will help fill gaps left when the Trump administration canceled investment tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act.
"Megawatts for Maryland" includes a two-stage process for determining eligible applications. In stage 1, an applicant can submit a preliminary application to see if they are eligible. If they are accepted, they then move to stage 2, where they can submit a bid price with additional documentation, the release said.
The application deadline for stage 1 is Nov. 30, while the one for stage 2 is Jan. 22, 2027. Only eligible stage 1 applicants may submit a bid for stage 2.
"Maryland families and businesses need reliable electricity at prices they can afford," said Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk. "That's why we made increasing our state's energy supply a central part of the Utility RELIEF Act."
The Moore-Miller administration issued an executive order on responsible data center development in Maryland in September that guaranteed that ratepayers are protected from energy price hikes caused by data centers.
"Lowering costs for Maryland families remains our top priority," said Senate President Bill Ferguson.