Massachusetts doubles offshore wind in power pipeline
USA, Massachusetts: The amount of offshore wind power in the pipeline is poised to roughly double with the selection of projects from both Vineyard Wind and Mayflower Wind.
Image source: GBH
USA, Massachusetts: The amount of offshore wind power in the pipeline is poised to roughly double with the selection of projects from both Vineyard Wind and Mayflower Wind.
It will cumulatively generate 1,600 MW of cleaner power for the Bay State by the end of this decade.
A group of utility executives working with assistance from the Baker administration was seeking 1,600 MW more of offshore wind power but got just two bids that each maxed out at 1,200 MW and came only from the two developers already under contract to deliver offshore wind power to Massachusetts.
So instead of picking just one 1,200 MW project, the group selected Vineyard Wind’s roughly 1,200 MW Commonwealth Wind proposal and supplemented it with a 400 MW project offered by Mayflower Wind.
Both developers are already working on roughly 800 MW projects for Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind I, the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the nation, is in the very early stages of construction and is due to come online by the end of 2023. Mayflower Wind’s initial 804 MW project just began its federal review process and is expected to be up and running in 2025.
“These projects will double the size of our current offshore wind procurements, they will deliver significant economic benefits to a number of coastal communities across the commonwealth,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides.
Once the two projects already under development and the two selected Friday are operational, offshore wind will generate roughly 25 % of Massachusetts’ annual electricity demand, enough to power about 1.6 million homes, the administration said.
Source: GBH
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