The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued its final Record of Decision (ROD) approving Avangrid Renewables’ New England Wind project on April 2, marking a major milestone for the proposed offshore wind project.
The New England Wind project is separated into two phases, which could total up to 2,600 MW of nameplate capacity. Neither phase of the project is under contract to be built, but Avangrid recently bid the project into Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island’s coordinated offshore wind solicitation. (See New England States’ OSW Procurement Receives 5,454 MW in Bids.)
The project is essentially a rebranding of the recently cancelled Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind projects. (See Park City Wind to Cancel PPAs, Exit OSW Pipeline and Commonwealth Wind PPA Cancellations OK’d.) It would be located adjacent to the under-construction Vineyard Wind 1 project, on a lease area about 23 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
The ROD marks the Biden administration’s eighth offshore wind project approval, totaling more than 10 GW of approved capacity.
“Today, we celebrate the incredible progress being made toward achieving our goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in a press release. “The New England Wind project will help lower consumer costs, combat climate change, create jobs to support families and ensure economic opportunities are accessible to all communities.”
Liz Burdock, CEO of the Oceantic Network (formerly the Business Network for Offshore Wind), celebrated the decision and praised the recent offshore wind permitting steps taken by the Biden administration.
“BOEM is crushing it,” Burdock said. “With the first projects nearing completion, two set to begin major construction this summer and more following in quick succession, a consistent construction pipeline is fostering the industry’s growth, creating opportunities for U.S. businesses to thrive and workers to develop critical skills.”
Representatives of environmental organizations including the Environmental League of Massachusetts, the Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy also praised the decision.
“It is now well documented that Cape Cod and its adjacent ocean waters are among the very fastest-warming locations in the world, adding further urgency for Cape Cod’s transition to a sustainable energy future,” said Dorothy Savarese of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative. “Offshore wind is an absolutely essential component of that vision.”
According to the federal permitting dashboard, the project is on track to complete the federal permitting and environmental review process by the beginning of July.
Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra applauded the Biden administration for issuing the ROD and called the project “the most advanced and shovel-ready offshore wind opportunity in the Northeast region.”
While Avangrid backed out of power purchase agreements for earlier iterations of the project due to growing economic pressures, the states hope bid indexing will help account for future inflationary pressures and push the next cohort of offshore wind projects across the finish line.
The company has indicated New England Wind could reach commercial operation by 2030 if it is selected in the New England states’ coordinated solicitation. The states’ decisions on bids are due by Aug. 7.
