The signing of contracts with projects selected in Massachusetts’ fourth offshore wind solicitation has been delayed once more, with the new expected date being on or before 31 March.
The execution of contracts, which had already been delayed to 15 January, is further postponed as the Electric Distribution Companies have filed a letter with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities stating that the contracting parties have not yet completed their negotiations.
One counter-party has withdrawn, namely the Vineyard Wind 2 project, from negotiations because its multi-state bid, which was contingent on another state procuring a portion of the output, was not accepted by another state.
The remaining two counter-parties are now targeting the completion of negotiations and execution of contracts on or before 31 March.
The evaluation team expects the filing of contracts to be filed with the department on or before 9 May, according to the letter.
The multi-state offshore wind capacity procurement encompassed Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
Massachusetts launched its fourth and largest offshore wind solicitation to date on 30 August 2023, seeking 3.6 GW of new generation capacity, and Rhode Island and Connecticut opened their offshore wind solicitation in October 2023 for 1.2 GW and 2 GW of offshore wind, respectively.
In September 2024, Massachusetts selected 1,087 MW of the multi-state 1,287 MW SouthCoast Wind project, with Rhode Island Energy awarding the remaining 200 MW. Massachusetts also selected the 791 MW New England Wind 1 project and up to 800 MW of the 1,260 MW Vineyard Wind 2 project.
Connecticut closed its solicitation at the end of last year, selecting 518 MW of new solar energy projects and 200 MW of new electric storage capacity, with no offshore wind capacity awarded.
Regarding SouthCoast Wind, the project recently received approval for its Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), marking the final step in the permitting process.
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