Maine and Connecticut are considering working together to build renewable-energy projects faster, a strategy that could be repeated throughout the region as states with ambitious emissions-reduction goals race to take advantage of federal tax credits before they disappear.

“They’re trying to collaborate, trying to coordinate,” said Francis Pullaro, president of clean-energy trade association Renew Northeast. ​“This is a preview of what’s to come.”

The next eight months are crucial for commercial-scale clean-energy developments nationwide. The tax credits included in former President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act spurred massive investment in the sector, with more than $360 billion in projects already announced as of June 2024. Now the Trump administration is phasing out the incentives for wind and solar farms, requiring them to begin construction by July 4, 2026, or be placed in service by the end of 2027 in order to qualify for the tax credits. Across the country, states are responding by streamlining permitting processes and fast-tracking clean-energy procurements to get projects going in time.

Maine and Connecticut — which both aim to get all of their power from clean sources by 2040 — have been among the states looking for ways to get projects in under the deadline. In July, Maine asked for proposals for up to 1,600 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy, giving developers just two weeks to submit their bids; regulators selected one hydropower and four solar developments in September.

It was Connecticut’s call for collaborators that sparked the emerging partnership between the states.

Connecticut released a request for proposals for solar and onshore wind projects in September, with a deadline of Oct. 10. The initial timeline calls for bids to be selected in November, and final contracts to be submitted by the end of the year. The call for proposals included provisions to allow other states to participate. Each state would make its own evaluations; if another state decided to select a project, it would coordinate with Connecticut on finalizing the terms of the deal.

Maine’s newly created Department of Energy Resources saw potential in this opportunity and reached out to the state’s utility commission, which voted to join Connecticut’s procurement. This move does not mean Maine will necessarily choose the same projects as its New England neighbor, just that it will have the opportunity to assess the same bids against its own criteria and needs.

The hope is that, by pooling demand and sharing information, both states will emerge with more efficient and viable projects at lower prices for residents.

“It makes a lot of sense for a state like Maine to piggyback on their efforts and hopefully enter into contracts for a share of the capacity that gets bid in cost-effectively,” said Jamie Dickerson, senior director of climate and clean-energy programs at Acadia Center, an advocacy group.

Both Connecticut and Maine have previously attempted to collaborate with other states on renewable-energy procurements, though not on quite as tight a timeline.

In 2022, Massachusetts agreed to buy 40% of the power produced by a planned onshore wind farm in northern Maine, though that development stalled when a deal for an associated transmission line fell through. In 2023, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island announced a three-state offshore wind solicitation; in the end, Connecticut declined to choose any of the bidders, although the two other participating states contracted nearly 2.9 GW of capacity.

Whether this latest endeavor yields any joint procurements remains to be seen, but Pullaro is confident that it will not be the last cooperative effort among New England states as the tax-credit deadline looms.

“The states are having a lot of conversations,” he said.