Maryland Case 9866: Comment Deadlines Passed; Round 1 Storage Decision Not Yet Verified

Summary: Maryland’s Public Service Commission scheduled a July 30, 2026 public-comment hearing in Case No. 9866 and set July 27 and July 31 participation deadlines. Those dates have passed. Four remaining storage proposals total 1,240 MW, but the proceeding concerns possible Energy Storage Capacity Credits—not construction approval—and NerdVolt had not verified an award decision from the live docket as of August 2.

Evergreen context: For storage background and policy context, see Batteries and Policy Updates.

What the Commission scheduled

The Commission’s July 21 announcement and July 17 hearing agenda scheduled a virtual public-comment hearing for 6:00 p.m. on July 30, 2026 as the next public step in the Round 1 review under Maryland’s Next Generation Energy Act. The published agenda said the hearing would gather public input and provide short overviews of the remaining proposals. NerdVolt has not verified a post-hearing transcript, recording, notice, or docket entry, so this page does not state that the event occurred as scheduled.

The Commission’s published materials say it will determine whether to award Energy Storage Capacity Credits to Round 1 applicants. An ESCC award would not by itself authorize construction. Any selected project would still need a later construction-approval process addressing project-specific issues such as safety, siting, and environmental impacts.

The four proposals on the hearing agenda

The public agenda identifies four remaining applicants. Their listed capacities add up to 1,240 MW, calculated from the Commission’s project figures. The list below describes proposals, not facilities authorized for construction.

• Oystercatcher Energy Storage Project: Cardinal Energy Storage East, LLC; Harford County near the BGE Conastone Substation; lithium-ion; 500 MW; six-hour duration.
• Fourth Quarter BESS Project: RWE Supply & Trading Americas, LLC; Montgomery County; lithium iron phosphate; 300 MW; four-hour duration; interconnecting utility listed as Pepco.
• Chalk Point Storage Project: Chalk Point Reliability Storage LLC; Prince George’s County; lithium iron phosphate; 400 MW; four-hour duration; interconnecting utility listed as Pepco.
• Jade Meadow III Battery Storage Project: Jade Meadow III LLC; Garrett County; lithium-ion; 40 MW; four-hour duration; interconnecting utility listed as FirstEnergy/Potomac Edison.

The docket shows that Round 1 initially included a Pulaski Energy Storage application. Pulaski filed a request to withdraw on July 2, 2026, and the Commission’s public announcement describes the four projects above as the remaining applicants. The docket also shows a public Round 1 Evaluation Report and subsequent testimony and procedural filings; the docket is the best place to check for later filings rather than assuming the hearing agenda is the final record.

Why it matters

The Commission’s public notice says Maryland’s law calls for at least two solicitations for a cumulative 1,600 MW of front-of-the-meter, transmission-connected storage projects. The same notice says successful Round 1 applicants must be decided by October 1, 2026, with Round 2 decisions due by October 1, 2027. Those milestones describe a procurement and regulatory schedule; they do not guarantee that every proposed megawatt will be selected, built, or placed in service.

For grid readers, the important distinction is between a financial or capacity-credit decision and a construction decision. A credit can affect how a project’s future revenue is evaluated, while construction approval would address a different set of project-specific questions. The Commission’s agenda explicitly says additional public hearings will be needed for non-financial aspects of awarded projects.

The proceeding also gives Maryland residents a concrete way to follow how utility-connected storage is evaluated. The public evaluation materials discuss applicant characteristics, development risk, safety plans, financing, stakeholder engagement, climate resilience, local economic benefits, and system benefits. Those criteria are not a promise that any project will receive an award; they are part of the review record.

Who is affected

The direct participants are the applicants, the Commission, its staff and consultant, utilities, intervenors, and other parties in Case No. 9866. Residents near the listed project locations may have a particular interest in the later siting, environmental, and safety proceedings if a project advances.

Other Maryland ratepayers and energy readers may want to track the proceeding because the Commission is evaluating projects in the context of capacity needs, transmission-connected storage, and ratepayer interests. The public materials do not establish a household bill change from this hearing, so this article does not predict one.

Participation deadlines have passed

1. Speaker registration closed: the published deadline was noon on July 27, 2026.
2. Written-comment deadline passed: the published deadline was close of business on July 31, 2026.
3. Review the record: use the Case No. 9866 docket in a normal browser and compare later filings with the hearing agenda and evaluation report. NerdVolt’s automated check received a security challenge on August 2.

What to watch next

• Any official hearing record or notice confirming what occurred after the July 30 scheduled event.
• Post-deadline comments, testimony, procedural filings, or corrections in Case No. 9866.
• The Round 1 decision: the Commission’s public notice says decisions are due by October 1, 2026, but that date does not establish an outcome.
• If a project receives ESCCs, its later construction-approval record on safety, siting, and environmental issues.

Related NerdVolt links

• Energy Storage for Commercial Buildings — a practical overview of load management, demand charges, and resilience value.
• Renewable Energy Storage Technologies — technology uses and limitations across storage types.
• Home Solar Microgrid Guide — explains the difference between grid-connected equipment and backup operation.
• More NerdVolt news explainers — current policy, grid, and clean-energy developments.

Sources

• Maryland Public Service Commission announcement, July 21, 2026 — hearing purpose, deadlines, applicants, and NGEA context.
• PSC Notice of Hearing Agenda, July 17, 2026, Case No. 9866 — hearing schedule, project figures, ESCC explanation, and the distinction from construction approval.
• PSC Case No. 9866 docket — current public filing list, including the July 2 withdrawal request and July 24 testimony filing.
• Public Round 1 Evaluation Report prepared for the Maryland PSC — evaluation framework and public project review materials linked from the Commission’s announcement.

Educational note: this article summarizes a public regulatory proceeding and is not legal, tax, electrical, engineering, permitting, investment, warranty, installation, or safety advice.