On May 13, 2025, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority ("NYSERDA") released a draft Index Storage Credit Request for Proposals (ISCRFP25-1) for bulk energy storage projects (the "Draft RFP").
ISCRFP25-1 is the first of three solicitations planned by NYSERDA in service of procuring 3,000 megawatts ("MW") of bulk energy storage in New York State before 2030. The final ISCRFP25-1 solicitation materials are set to be released on June 30, 2025, with project proposals due in Q3 2025 and provisional awards expected in Q1 2026.
Interested parties may submit comments on the Draft RFP until May 29, 2025. Parties may also comment on the draft ISC Form Agreement, the draft Bulk Energy Storage Program Manual, and the draft Appendix A, which provides guidance as to the submission of incremental economic benefits claims. Comments on documents other than the ISC Form Agreement are limited to 20 pages or less.
Important Dates and Deadlines
- Draft RFP Comments Due: May 29, 2025
- Final RFP Issuance Date: By June 30, 2025
- Proposer's Webinar: July 15, 2025, 1:00-2:30 p.m. E.S.T.
- Step One Application Submission Deadline: August 12, 2025
- NYSERDA Notifies Proposers of Step One Results: August 26, 2025
- Deadline to Submit Proposed Material Changes to ISC Standard Form Agreement: September 9, 2025
- Deadline to Submit Written Questions to NYSERDA: September 9, 2025
- Final Question Responses Posted by NYSERDA: September 30, 2025
- NYSERDA Posts Final ISC Standard Form Agreement: October 8, 2025
- Bid Fee Deadline: November 11, 2025
- Step Two Bid Proposal Submission Deadline: November 12, 2025
- NYSERDA Notifies Proposers of Provisional Awards: Expected Q1 2026
- Public Disclosure Event: Expected Q2 2026
Procurement Process Overview
- Step One: Application Proposers submit evidence of project eligibility and general information. Deadline: August 12, 2025.
- Step Two: Bid Proposal Qualified proposers submit detailed project information, including a Strike Price, for competitive evaluation. Deadline: November 12, 2025.
- Evaluation: Proposals are evaluated on both price (60%) and non-price (40%) factors, including project viability, electricity system value, and societal/economic benefits.
Eligibility Criteria
- Projects "must utilize storage technology that is electrical, chemical, mechanical, or thermoelectric." (The draft RFP does not specify how technologies will be determined to be compliant with this requirement.)
- Minimum project size is 5 MW AC.
- Projects must be interconnected in New York State.
- Only commercially deployed technologies are eligible (not pilots or prototypes).
- Projects must not have received certain NYSERDA or utility incentives.
- Projects must be able to be in service by December 31, 2030.
Key Evaluation Components
- Price Evaluation: Based on the proposed Strike Price for ISCs, adjusted for market forecasts and project availability.
- Non-Price Evaluation: Includes project maturity, interconnection and permitting status, safety and security planning, supply chain and procurement, community engagement, development experience, financing plan, and climate resiliency.
- Economic Benefits: Proposals are scored on the level of economic benefits to New York, with extra weight for benefits to disadvantaged communities, MWBE, and SDVOB.
Additional Features
- Inflation Risk Adjustment Proposal (IRAP): Option for proposers to submit a price structure that adjusts for inflation up to a 10% cap.
- Geographic and Duration Targets: At least 35% of capacity in NYISO Zones G–K, with a focus on long-duration storage (8+ hours) and peaker plant displacement for those Zones. Of the 3,000 MW to be procured across the three solicitations (ISCRFP25-1 and subsequent), NYSERDA aims to procure 20% long-duration storage, but may not procure 20% long-duration storage in each procurement.
- Contract Tenor: Up to 15 years for lithium-ion, up to 25 years for non-lithium-ion projects.
- Prevailing Wage and Labor Requirements: All construction must comply with prevailing wage or project labor agreement requirements.
Post-Award Process
- Provisional awardees must provide contract security and finalize agreements with NYSERDA.
- Confidentiality is required until public disclosure after all contracts are executed.
- Ongoing reporting and compliance with safety, labor, and economic benefit commitments are required.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
