Connecticut choosing to award power deals to solar and storage rather than offshore wind has prompted neighbouring Massachusetts to withdraw a deal offered to Vineyard Offshore for its planned 1.2GW wind farm.
Vineyard Offshore – a joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid – had been provisionally awarded an offtake agreement for the first 800MW of the project. However, this award was contingent on the developer securing a power deal for the 400MW remainder.
A Vineyard Offshore spokesperson said: “With Connecticut’s decision today not to purchase the remaining 400MW, we are unable to contract the project’s full 1,200MW at this time. We look forward to advancing this project and participating in future solicitations to meet the region’s growing energy needs while spurring economic investment and creating thousands of American energy jobs.”
Earlier this year, three New England states had held the US’s first ever multi-state offshore wind solicitation. In September, Massachusetts and Rhode Island selected 2.9GW of projects, but Connecticut said it had not yet decided.
But late last week, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Deep) closed its solicitation for offshore wind resources without selecting any bids.
However, the department did choose 518MW of new solar generation and 200MW of new electric storage capacity.
In a press release, Deep added: “Connecticut remains committed to offshore wind, a critical source of energy supply that is helping to reduce emissions, improve grid reliability, bolster our energy supply, and support economic development in our state and region.”
The decision to avoid offshore wind had been expected. On a recent public radio programme, governor Ned Lamont had said of the offshore wind solicitation: “It seems very expensive, and I care deeply about green and affordability.”
In the multi-state solicitation in September, Massachusetts had provisionally agreed to buy power from 800MW of Vineyard Offshore’s Vineyard Wind 2 project. At the time, it was expected that Connecticut would look to buy power from the 400MW remainder of the project.
A Massachusetts energy resources department spokesperson clarified: “Massachusetts’ selection of Vineyard Wind 2 was contingent on the project securing an offtake agreement for the remaining 400MW of capacity. We will continue to explore all possibilities for moving this project forward and encourage Vineyard Offshore to participate in our anticipated 2025 solicitation.”
Contracts with Massachusetts were to have been finalised by 15 January.
Comments