Connecticut Senate Greenlights 2GW of Offshore Wind

The Connecticut State Senate has unanimously approved the procurement of an additional 2,000MW of offshore wind energy.

The House Bill 7156, An Act Concerning the Procurement of Energy Derived From Offshore Wind, will now be referred to Connecticut’s Governor Ned Lamont for signature into law.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is then expected to issue a request for proposal (RFP) within 14 days of the bill becoming law.

“We will look back at this as a historic moment in the effort to tackle climate change in Connecticut with pride. The Connecticut legislature has shown that clean and renewable energy is a bipartisan issue that supports the environment and good jobs,” said Samantha Dynowski, Connecticut State Director at the Sierra Club.

In mid-May, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted 134-10 in favor of the legislation authorizing the development of the additional 2,000MW of offshore wind capacity.

According to the Sierra Club, the projects will be located in federal waters 40 to 60 miles from the coastline and will use the State Pier in New London, as well as skilled labor from the state.

Last month, the Connecticut Port Authority and terminal operator Gateway partnered with Bay State Wind, a joint venture of Ørsted and Eversource, on a deal to redevelop the State Pier into an offshore wind hub through combined public-private investment of USD 93 million to upgrade its infrastructure and heavy-lift capability.