Vineyard Wind Places Two Bids in Massachusetts Offshore Wind Call

Vineyard Wind has submitted two proposals in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for offshore wind energy projects in Massachusetts, offering options of approximately 800 MW and 1,200 MW.

The developer’s proposals, named Commonwealth Wind, include the development of an offshore wind project in an area just south of the Vineyard Wind 1 and Park City Wind.

Commonwealth Wind will adhere to the 1 x 1 nautical mile spacing between turbines, which was endorsed by the United States Coast Guard as the preferred layout for safety and navigation, Vineyard Wind said.

“We have used all of our experience with our existing portfolio to put together an incredibly strong proposal that, if selected, will ensure Massachusetts benefits significantly from its first-mover status in pioneering offshore wind at scale in the U.S.”, said Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “We have deliberately named our proposals ‘Commonwealth Wind’ to underline the broad benefit of affordable energy to the entire Commonwealth as well as the significant economic benefits that will be delivered to multiple regions of Massachusetts”.

The proposals outline hundreds of millions of investments in offshore wind infrastructure, the creation of thousands of jobs and substantial commitments to environmental justice communities, according to the developer.

Massachusetts and the state’s utilities issued an RFP to procure at least 400 MW and up to 1,600 MW of offshore wind capacity in May, with bidders allowed to offer proposals from 200 MW to up to 1600 MW.

This is the state’s third offshore wind RfP and could be the largest in terms of the capacity awarded. The first two rounds saw 800 MW of offshore wind capacity awarded to the Vineyard Wind 1 project, and 804 MW of capacity awarded to the Mayflower Wind project.

Meanwhile, Vineyard Wind’s first project has advanced through the federal permitting system and received the approval the same month Massachusetts issued its new solicitation. This month, the developer, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), reached financial close on the 800 MW offshore wind farm and set the project for construction start.

Vineyard Wind’s Park City Wind project started its federal review process in 2021 and is currently undergoing review at the local, state and federal levels.

In June, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it would begin conducting an environmental review of a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the Vineyard Wind South wind project, which could add up to 2.3 GW of offshore wind capacity to the US.

The project is proposed to be built offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts with its first phase, Park City Wind, having the potential to contribute to Connecticut’s mandate of 2,000 MW of offshore wind energy by 2030, through Vineyard Wind’s 804 MW power purchase agreement with Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.