May 29, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Now we have an industry, not just a plan.
That’s the feeling among would-be suppliers and others after Massachusetts and Rhode Island awarded offshore wind contracts on Wednesday to two developers for a combined 1,200 megawatts of power.
Though subject to negotiation and permitting, the Massachusetts award of 800 megawatts essentially green-lights the largest U.S. offshore wind farm to date. Together, the two projects could power about 620,000 homes, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
Even Bay State Wind, whose bid was not successful, is looking forward to a bright future in the region.
“This is the first of what we think will be many more to come,” said Lauren Burm, a spokeswoman for Ørsted, one of the partners behind Bay State Wind. She said solicitations on the Eastern seaboard are expected to exceed 7,000 megawatts in the next 10 years.
And Ørsted is moving on.
On May 17, the Danish company opened an office in Atlantic City for a prospective wind farm off New Jersey, where it holds another lease in federal waters.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a renewable energy law on May 23, the same day Massachusetts and Rhode Island made their awards. In it, he codified in law his previously stated goal of buying 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. The state has not issued a request for proposals.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times