Avangrid has received the federal Record of Decision (ROD) from the Department of the Interior for New England Wind, consisting of the New England Wind 1 and New England Wind 2 projects.
The ROD brings the lease area closer to full federal approval for construction, with the company anticipating COP approval in July. The project area is located 30 miles south of Barnstable, Mass., bordering Vineyard Wind 1 to the south, and makes landfall under the Craigville Beach parking lot.
“The Record of Decision issued by the Biden administration today represents a historic step toward the future of offshore wind in the United States,” says Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra.
“The Biden administration, Secretary Haaland and BOEM all deserve immense credit for their thorough and rigorous review of New England Wind, as well as their decisive action to move the nation’s clean energy and climate goals forward. With this federal approval, New England Wind stands apart as the most advanced and shovel-ready offshore wind opportunity in the Northeast region. We are grateful to our many supporters and stakeholders that participated in the federal permitting process, and look forward to continued engagement as we work to bring thousands of well-paying jobs and clean, reliable power to New England.”
Last month, Avangrid submitted proposals for the projects to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island-Connecticut Multi-State Procurement for Offshore Wind. The states are anticipated to announce selected projects from the competitive procurement in August.
