Northeast States Outline Path to Standardized Offshore HVDC Network

Massachusetts and eight other Northeast states have released three reports outlining technical standards and policy recommendations aimed at advancing high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technologies and supporting the development of multi-state offshore transmission networks.

The reports were developed by the Planning Offshore Interregional Network Standardization (POINTS) Consortium, a research initiative launched in 2025 to establish best practices and harmonized standards for offshore transmission planning and development. According to the consortium, the recommendations provide a foundation for a more unified and interoperable offshore transmission network along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said the effort supports coordination among Atlantic Coast states as offshore wind development continues to expand. She noted that common technical standards for transmission infrastructure could help improve coordination and reduce costs associated with future offshore transmission projects.

The reports build on work initiated in 2023, when Massachusetts led a request to the U.S. Department of Energy to convene the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission. The collaborative was established to explore opportunities to increase power transfers between the planning regions of the New England ISO, New York ISO and PJM Interconnection. In 2024, participating states signed a memorandum of understanding to guide the group's activities and later released a strategic action plan that identified offshore transmission standardization as a priority.

The POINTS Consortium developed its recommendations with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, technical experts and industry stakeholders. The research concludes that greater coordination in transmission planning, procurement processes, equipment standardization and reliability frameworks could help lower infrastructure costs, strengthen supply chains, improve grid reliability and accelerate deployment of offshore energy resources.

The consortium plans to discuss the reports and their findings during a webinar scheduled for June 25.

In a related development, the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission announced that the District of Columbia has joined the group through an amended memorandum of understanding. The collaborative now includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

State energy officials from Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey and Rhode Island said the recommendations provide guidance for future offshore transmission planning and could support efforts to improve reliability, reduce costs and coordinate regional investments in offshore energy infrastructure.

Industry organizations also expressed support for the initiative. In a statement, Oceantic Network President and CEO Liz Burdock said the reports advance efforts to standardize HVDC technologies and offshore transmission procurement approaches, while identifying actions states can incorporate into future energy policies.