Mayflower Wind has submitted a 1.2-GW bid in the latest Massachusetts offshore wind solicitation with a commitment to spend up to $81 million for economic development.
The joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A), EDP Renewables and ENGIE said Thursday that it submitted multiple bids, the largest of which would interconnect 1.2 GW at Brayton Point in Somerset. Additional bid sizes were not disclosed.
“The bids we submitted were formulated after months of conversations with local stakeholders who shared with us their vision for the future of the offshore wind industry,” Mayflower Wind CEO Michael Brown said in a statement. “We took those conversations very seriously and developed packages that incorporate their feedback and support each of their diverse groups.”
Mayflower is one of only two developers that submitted bids in the 83C iii solicitation announced in May. Vineyard Wind said last week that it submitted bids for 800 MW and 1.2 GW under the name Commonwealth Wind. (See Partners Behind Vineyard Wind Divvy up Leases.)
The solicitation, which is the third call for offshore wind in Massachusetts, requested proposals of between 400 MW and 1.6 GW. Mayflower secured a power purchase agreement under the state’s second call with its 804-MW project. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources said in an August 2020 brief that the proposal had the lowest price of 28 received for the round.
Mayflower is developing a 127,000-acre lease area (OCS-A 0521) off the coast of Massachusetts that it won through a competitive sale held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2018. The developer says the lease area has 2 GW of generation potential.
Workforce and Equity
Under the economic development program Mayflower is planning for its new bids, the developer will focus on building out the offshore wind supply chain and workforce. It also plans to make “significant investments” in ports, businesses and infrastructure, according to a company statement.
If Mayflower wins a contract in the new solicitation, it also will create an operations and maintenance port in the city of Fall River, at the Borden & Remington Ironworks complex.
“Our O&M port in Fall River and the National Offshore Wind Institute in New Bedford, which we are proud to support, will be twin anchors for a vibrant and growing offshore wind industry on the South Coast,” Brown said.
Fall River, which is opposite Brayton Point across Taunton River, was among 28 environmental justice communities identified in a recent state report as being a priority location for offshore wind workforce development. (See Mass. Has Significant OSW Workforce Gaps for 1.6 GW Pipeline.)
“We will get the benefit of the regular transition point for the crew and staff when they go out to work on the project,” Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told NetZero Insider. “We could have 20 to 25 permitted jobs to start, depending on how many megawatts Mayflower Wind is awarded, and then we’ll be able to expand from there.”
The developer, Coogan added, is taking a 15-acre strip along the city’s waterfront, but there also will be space for expansion if needed. The complex, he said, has a working chemical company on it now and features a train track, close proximity to the highway and easy access from Mount Hope Bay.
In its bid, Mayflower committed to enabling disadvantaged businesses and incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion principles into its activities. The developer said it will target a portion of its spending for businesses certified by the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office to encourage minority- and women-owned businesses to enter the offshore wind supply chain, according to the bid document.