Bill would give DOER broader procurement authority; municipalities and businesses seek access to large procurements

BOSTON — The administration and many municipal and business leaders said the bill’s proposed procurement language would let the state buy clean power at scale and offer other public entities the option to participate, which could lower costs and open access for municipal aggregations, universities and corporations.

Under current practice, utilities contract for large projects such as offshore wind and long‑term power supply. The bill would authorize a DOER‑led resource solicitation plan that could procure generation and associated attributes and then allow participating entities to buy off the state solicitation. Administration witnesses said this would remove a utility “middleman” fee and permit municipalities and municipal light plants to participate in larger regional procurements.

Municipal and economic development witnesses called the change important to enable large employers, municipal aggregation programs and local governments to reach clean energy goals and to secure stable long‑term prices. They argued “energy‑ready zones” and pre‑identified sites with interconnection and required capacity would help economic development and housing projects avoid long transmission buildouts and delays.

Clean energy advocates and market participants urged careful drafting to preserve statutory requirements for certain procurements and to ensure bundle structures that preserve hedging value for developers. Several witnesses suggested DOER should include benchmarks across resource types (offshore wind, storage, land‑based wind, hydro, and solar) in resource solicitation plans so the procurement can get robust, price‑competitive offers.