Executive Order  No. 654: To Secure Massachusetts’ Energy Future by Establishing an Energy Supply Plan that Drives Affordability and Reliability

WHEREAS, to reduce energy bills for Massachusetts residents, promote energy independence, strengthen community resilience and meet growing electricity needs, Massachusetts must rapidly increase its energy resources;

WHEREAS, Massachusetts will need additional, diverse energy supplies, storage, and tools for reducing peak electricity and gas use to meet this growing demand sustainably, reliably, and affordably;  

WHEREAS, Massachusetts must take action in response to the federal government’s tariffs and various policies that impede the development of clean energy resources, despite growing affordability and reliability concerns; 

WHEREAS, Massachusetts is actively procuring additional energy resources, including energy storage, hydroelectric power, renewable and zero-carbon energy, and associated transmission from within Massachusetts and from other New England states and Canada; 

WHEREAS, Massachusetts is actively working to give energy consumers more options to control their energy usage to reduce bills and rein in utility spending;

WHEREAS, immediate action is needed to maximize the federal tax credits that clean energy projects in Massachusetts are eligible to receive prior to their expiration under new accelerated deadlines set by federal law;  

WHEREAS, constructing new clean energy resources, and securing the benefit of federal tax credits for such resources, will help reduce electricity bills for Massachusetts residents and avoid future price spikes;  

WHEREAS, Massachusetts has worked to counteract the loss of federal incentives for solar by implementing the updated Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target incentive program and convening a Solar Summit, on September 29, 2025, to identify actionable solutions;  

WHEREAS, in addition to promoting wind and solar generation, Massachusetts has the opportunity to leverage relatively untapped energy resources, including geothermal and other non-fossil thermal energy solutions, advanced nuclear fission and fusion energy technologies, hydroelectric power, and other resources; 

WHEREAS, building and connecting new energy supplies and responsibly maintaining efficient, existing assets ensure good paying jobs and supports economic opportunity, a resilient grid, and growth throughout communities in Massachusetts;

WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities recently approved a new natural gas supply contract that will reduce future bills for gas ratepayers without burdening them with additional infrastructure costs; 

WHEREAS, the Everett Marine Terminal Liquified Natural Gas (“LNG”) Facility (“Everett Marine Terminal”), an LNG import and storage facility, is a strategic energy asset for Massachusetts and the New England region, capable of meeting up to ten percent of the region’s natural gas supply needs on the coldest days, and gas storage and delivery capabilities, in general, are critical to meeting peak winter energy demand;   

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Maura T. Healey, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution, Part 2, c. 2, § I, Art. I, do hereby order as follows: 

Section 1. Increasing Energy Supply

The Commonwealth will bring ten gigawatts (“GW”) of new energy resources online, under contract, or under development by the end of 2035. 

This will include four new GW of solar, two-and-a-half GW of new energy supply into the New England power grid connecting to Massachusetts customers, and three-and-a-half new GW from demand management, such as virtual power plants.

To give energy consumers more opportunities to control their energy usage, maintain connectivity and reduce energy bills, three-and-a-half GW of the ten GW goal should be achieved from new load management strategies, such as virtual power plants, electric vehicle charging management, energy efficiency and demand response programs. To support these strategies, the Department of Energy Resources (“DOER”) shall publish a review of existing demand and customer supply programs offered in the Commonwealth by September 1, 2026.

Further, to facilitate the integration of additional electricity supply, alleviate grid constraints, and reduce peak energy demand, there shall be an additional goal of five GW of energy storage online or under development within Massachusetts by the end of 2035. 

These goals shall be subject to further evaluation 1) by DOER in terms of resource adequacy and resource integration needs and 2) in the Massachusetts 2035 Clean Energy and Climate Plan (“CECP”) to be published in 2028.

Section 2. Expanding and Diversifying Energy Sources and Storage 

To reach the goals identified in Section 1, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (“EEA”) and its relevant Departments shall: 

1. Take the following steps to support solar, energy storage, and wind: 
2. review and expedite existing and planned initiatives to support the deployment of new solar, energy storage, and wind resources; 
3. advance recommendations from the September 2025 Solar Summit, including, but not limited to:
4. improving DOER’s policies to reduce barriers to deployment and increase the output of existing facilities;
5. partnering with the utilities to implement improvements to the interconnection and other utility processes and programs related to solar; and
6. expediting, to the extent practicable, Department of Public Utilities (“DPU”) proceedings related to solar deployment.
7. coordinate with the Department of Fire Services to support the development of Commonwealth-wide safety and education initiatives for energy storage technologies;
8. support the expansion of wind generation;
9. advance more microgrids and other local sources of energy that ensure communities are better and more quickly able to respond to severe weather events and power outages.
10. Take the following steps to support nuclear, geothermal, and other non-fossil thermal energy sources: 
11. expedite existing and planned initiatives to sustain the region’s existing nuclear generation, advance the recommendations made in the Advanced Nuclear and Fusion Energy Roadmap Report, and work with other New England states and Canadian partners; and
12. accelerate deployment of geothermal and other non-fossil thermal energy systems by identifying viable thermal resources, speeding up licensing and certification pathways, developing clear regulatory and permitting models, expanding training, and working with gas utilities, labor organizations, and industry to meet workforce and supply-chain needs.
13. In addition to the DPU’s recent approval of a new natural gas supply contract, take the following steps to review the adequacy and use of existing assets and opportunities in the region for natural gas and oil storage capacity and delivery capabilities to promote energy affordability and reliability:
    1. Review existing natural gas and oil storage capacity and utilization and coordinate with gas utilities, fossil fuel generation facilities, and other New England states to develop greater clarity on how the Everett Marine Terminal and other fuel storage assets may contribute to meeting regional energy supply needs and maintaining system reliability, aligned with Section 4, and identify whether additional, strategically located storage capacity or delivery capabilities could provide reliability and affordability benefits to all ratepayers and align with existing regulations; and
    2. Based on the review findings, propose recommendations to ensure adequate natural gas and oil storage capacity and delivery capabilities that promote reliability and affordability, avoid unnecessary spending and adding charges to customer bills, and are aligned with existing regulations. 

Section 3. Connecting Energy Faster, Reducing Bills, and Building Resilience

To advance grid readiness, affordability, and support the goals outlined in Section 1, the DPU shall: 

1. Require each electric distribution company (“EDC”) to file a plan for managing the expected influx of interconnection requests before the phaseout of Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) tax credits and allowing for planned generation projects to interconnect to the electric distribution grid in order to maximize access to the IRA tax credits.  
2. Require each EDC with proposed or active Capital Investment Projects under the Provisional System Planning Program that have not already done so to amend the relevant tariffs to offer payment plans that allow solar developers to pay for grid interconnection costs over time and secure such payments by means of a letter of credit or posting a bond. The payment plans offered by each EDC should provide similar options and payment timing with pricing set based on the specific project milestones; 
3. Direct each EDC to file a comprehensive flexible interconnection program, which shall be reviewed by DPU for expeditious implementation of approved plans;
4. Investigate strategies to ensure energy independence and affordability for Massachusetts electric customers and promote safe and reliable operation of the electric grid with the growth of large commercial customers. Such investigation should be informed by the parameters identified by EEA and the Executive Office of Economic Development below;  
5. Expedite the review of proposals that can unlock the benefits of time-of-use electricity rates, distributed energy resources, energy efficiency, and virtual power plants and direct the EDCs to expeditiously implement all approved measures.

The Office of Environmental Justice and Equity within EEA shall: 

6. Develop models to proliferate community energy resilience hubs, including but not limited to resources and frameworks to deploy community microgrids. Such models shall be developed in coordination with DOER, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, incorporate lessons learned from the Green Communities and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness programs, and seek and include community input; and
7. Conduct analysis into the energy system and resilience benefits that accrue to residents of Burdened Areas, with a particular focus on programs specifically designed to convey benefits to low- or moderate-income customers, in consultation with the Office of Climate Science. The objectives of said analysis shall be to better understand: (1) whether eligibility gaps in said programs exist for Burdened Areas; and (2) whether the identified benefits sufficiently address energy burden.

Further, EEA and Executive Office of Economic Development shall: 

8. develop recommendations, including identifying policy, regulatory and legislative changes, to establish Clean Energy Ready Zones that have the energy infrastructure and supply available to accelerate economic development and opportunity across Massachusetts.

Last, EEA shall examine pathways to lower the cost to ratepayers of transmission infrastructure necessary to meet energy needs in alignment with other states throughout the New England region.

Section 4. Meeting Winter Energy Needs Reliably and Affordably  

The EEA’s Office of Energy Transformation, in coordination with DOER and the Everett Marine Terminal Focus Area Working Group, shall:

1. Identify opportunities to accelerate demand reduction in strategic locations served by the Everett Marine Terminal, including, but not limited to, geotargeting of energy efficiency and demand reduction incentives, and targeted supply-side or gas distribution system related interventions to enable elimination of future reliance on the terminal for Massachusetts gas utilities and meet winter energy needs affordably and reliably.
2. Identify options to fund ongoing operation of the Everett Marine Terminal in a manner that does not overly burden gas utility ratepayers and maximizes the use of the asset while it is operational and relied on by the gas utilities for supply and system reliability.

Section 5.  Other Matters

Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to require action inconsistent with any applicable state or federal law. 

This Executive Order shall not be construed to create any cause of action, right to judicial review, or a basis to challenge a regulatory or administrative matter involving the compliance or noncompliance of any state agency, its officers or employees, or any other person with this Executive Order.  

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately and shall continue in effect until amended, superseded, or revoked by subsequent Executive Order.