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Maryland PSC approves consent agenda tariffs and grants extensions for two battery/microgrid pilots
Summary
The Maryland Public Service Commission approved six consent‑agenda items including tariff filings and cancellations, accepted multiple utility tariff revisions, and granted operational‑deadline extensions for PEPCO's Fairmont Heights microgrid to 05/31/2025 and Delmarva's Ocean City battery to 04/30/2025, both subject to prior order conditions and lessons‑learned reports.
At its Nov. 26 administrative meeting, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved a slate of consent‑agenda items and granted extensions to two energy storage pilot projects after staff and the Office of People's Counsel recommended conditions.
On the consent agenda the commission approved a petition from Aberdeen Solar LLC for an extension of an operational deadline (motion made and carried by Chair Hoover and supported by Commissioners Sussman, Barbay and Richard), several tariff filings with effective dates between Dec. 1, 2024 and June 1, 2025, and a notice of bond cancellation affecting multiple utilities. Each item was moved by the chair and recorded as an unanimous vocal "Aye" by the commissioners on the dais.
Item 10: PEPCO Fairmont Heights microgrid — Staff (Deandre Wilson) summarized PEPCO’s request to extend its operational deadline because of permit delays related to the property ownership arrangement and the need to revise an issued building permit to cover battery storage inside a central building. Staff described the Fairmont Heights pilot as a utility‑owned microgrid consisting of 120 kW of battery energy storage connected to six single‑family net‑zero homes (each with ~17.9 kW solar PV) for a combined capacity the filings list at roughly 227.4 kW; staff recommended extending the deadline to May 31, 2025 if the commission found good cause. OPC said it supported staff’s recommendation but noted the company’s original extension request had been to March 31, 2025; OPC asked for continued reporting and requested that the company file lessons learned. PEPCO counsel Matthew Seager said revised permit material had been submitted to Prince George's County and the county would expedite review. The commission approved Pepco’s extension to 05/31/2025 and required a lessons‑learned report to be filed in case 9619 by 04/30/2026.
Item 11: Delmarva Ocean City battery — Staff explained Delmarva’s Ocean City project is a 1 MW front‑of‑meter battery with about 3 MWh of storage that will provide peak shaving and resilience benefits and estimated it would benefit more than 11,000 customers in the affected area. Delmarva said enclosure components were expected mid‑January and construction/groundbreaking was scheduled for December; staff recommended extending the operational deadline to 04/30/2025 and imposing the same conditions and reporting as prior orders. OPC again supported staff’s conditions, and the commission approved Delmarva’s extension to 04/30/2025 and required a lessons‑learned filing by 04/30/2026.
All formal motions on consent items and the two extension requests were moved from the dais and carried unanimously with the commissioners voting "Aye." The commission’s orders referenced prior commission orders (90453; 91088/91088 depending on item) and directed staff to follow up with the Comptroller’s Office on certain tax questions raised in another tariff matter.
The meeting record shows commissioners asked staff and company representatives to ensure reporting timelines for lessons learned so that pilot learnings can inform the Maryland Energy Storage Initiative (MESI) working group and the commission’s statutory review deadlines. The meeting adjourned after the consolidated‑billing panel began; the commission asked staff for guidance on next steps and timing for drafting regulations.
