Representatives of the New England Power Generators Association (NEPGA) told the Science, Technology and Energy Committee that merchant (non-utility) generators supply the large majority of generation in New England and described how competitive markets shape investment decisions.

Molly Connors, an analyst at NEPGA, said the association represents about 27,000 megawatts of generating capacity across New England and that its members operate roughly 95 percent of the region’s generation that is not utility-owned. NEPGA said roughly 4,300 megawatts of member capacity sits in New Hampshire and about 30 percent of its regional fleet is non-emitting or renewable.

NEPGA’s presentation framed the market as price-driven: developers and investors are “price-takers” who model build decisions on expected wholesale-market revenue plus tax credits and other incentives. The group described how market rules, ISO New England planning, and state policy all affect firm economics, financing and siting.

The association also discussed storage. Short-duration lithium-ion batteries — typically two to four hours — have the greatest current market growth and are being collocated at many generating sites to optimize operations. NEPGA highlighted longer-duration technologies under development and projects such as Form Energy’s proposed 100‑hour battery in Maine, which could affect multi-day winter reliability, although such technologies remain early-stage and unproven at scale.

Finally, NEPGA said transmission spending has become an important upward pressure on bills. The presenters pointed to a long-term rise in transmission costs driven in part by national policy incentives to build long-distance lines and by utilities’ capital investments on transmission and distribution. “This is our favorite slide and the one that gets the most attention,” the presenters said as they reviewed a chart showing substantial increases in transmission-related charges since the mid-2000s.

Committee members asked about opportunities for small modular nuclear reactors, the effect of storage on reliability, and how interconnection queues and siting constraints slow project delivery. NEPGA urged a balance of policies that ensure reliability while keeping costs manageable for consumers.