Several developers have publicly announced their bids in response to Connecticut’s new offshore wind solicitation.
In August, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking up to 2 GW of offshore wind energy. The RFP – which was required under a bill signed by Gov. Ned Lamont in June – represents the state’s first solicitation dedicated specifically to offshore wind development.
Mayflower Wind, a joint venture of Shell New Energies US LLC and EDPR Offshore North America LLC, has submitted bids for both an 804 MW project and a 408 MW project.
The Mayflower Wind project would be located off the southern coast of Massachusetts – approximately 26 nautical miles south of the island of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles south of Nantucket. The developer won the rights to the federal lease area in December.
“Governor Lamont has outlined a vision for moving Connecticut toward a clean energy future, and we believe our proposal can play a role in advancing that vision in an affordable manner,” comments John Hartnett, president of Mayflower Wind. “The state’s comprehensive energy strategy calls for deployment of cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy resources – and that is exactly what we are offering.”
In another bid, Vineyard Wind LLC – a 50/50 joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables – has announced a set of proposals dubbed “Park City Wind.” This proposal includes the required 400 MW plan, as well as options to develop projects that will generate 800 MW, 1,000 MW and 1,200 MW.
Park City Wind, named after the City of Bridgeport, Conn., includes projects that would be constructed in one of Vineyard Wind’s two federally designated lease areas. Both lease areas are located south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
“Vineyard Wind is pleased to submit a dynamic set of project proposals to deliver a reliable source of fixed, low-cost, zero-emission energy to Connecticut ratepayers while supporting the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions,” says Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “Our Park City Wind proposal is much more than an energy project; it’s an opportunity for Connecticut to develop a world-class offshore wind industry in Bridgeport and solidify its role as a high-value industry hub in the U.S. for years to come. Vineyard Wind looks forward to working with all stakeholders involved throughout the review process and will be announcing additional details about this exciting opportunity in the weeks ahead.”
Lastly, joint venture partners Eversource and Ørsted have submitted a bid for their Constitution Wind project. Located 65 miles off the coast of New London, Conn., the wind farm would be able to power up to half a million homes. (The partners have not revealed in their joint announcement the total capacity of the proposed project.)
The partners have committed to invest $57 million for upgrades to New London State Pier to create an offshore wind staging hub in Connecticut. The companies will also soon open an office in downtown New London to support their portfolio of projects across the Northeast.
Constitution Wind has been in development since 2015, with more than 100 employees supporting the project. In an effort to gather research about the project and its surrounding environment, the team gathered two years of FLiDAR wind speed data specific to its lease area and conducted over 12,000 miles of geophysical surveys in the lease area and along the export cable route – equivalent to the distance between Hartford, Conn., and Perth, Australia.
“Since 2015, our team has been focused on bringing affordable, renewable energy to Connecticut – a major opportunity for the state’s clean energy future and economy,” comments Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America and CEO of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind. “Following up on the selection of our Revolution Wind project by the state and our investment to turn New London State Pier into a world-class offshore wind center, our proposed Constitution Wind project will be delivered by the industry’s leading experts to ensure the project is achievable, sustainable and successful for Connecticut.”
Photo: Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
