As part of the state’s solicitation process for offshore wind, Vineyard Wind has submitted a proposal to construct a utility-scale wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.
Vineyard Wind, a portfolio company of funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables, is based in New Bedford, Mass. The company recently submitted applications with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities’ Energy Facilities Siting Board to construct the 800 MW wind farm, located approximately 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
The project would generate enough electricity to power over 400,000 homes, according to the developer.
By filing for construction permits, Vineyard Wind says it is on track to complete the permitting process in time to begin construction in 2019. In the years leading up to the permit and proposal submissions, the developer says it worked to establish long-term relationships and partnerships with the local communities near the project site.
“Vineyard Wind is confident that its proposal to start building Massachusetts’ first offshore wind project in 2019 is the right approach for local residents and businesses eager to reap the abundant environmental and economic benefits that are associated with large-scale renewable and sustainable wind energy,” says Erich Stephens, chief development officer of Vineyard Wind.
The developer says the project would put hundreds of Massachusetts residents to work now and in the future through the “Windward Workforce” program. In addition, Vineyard Wind would immediately boost development of the supply-chain sector through its Massachusetts offshore wind accelerator program, an initiative designed to kick-start local participation.
Following the passage of An Act to Promote Energy Diversity in 2016, Massachusetts required the state’s electric distribution companies to procure 1.6 GW of offshore wind energy within the next decade, resulting in interest by developers to participate in the procurement process for long-term offshore wind contracts.
