The Biden Administration is advancing the goal of 30 Gigawatts of Offshore Wind by 2030 and is sowing trillions in federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Build Back Better Act proposes even greater investments in the economy. New England is now in great position for reaping social, economic, and environmental benefits from commercial-scale offshore wind energy.
Vineyard Wind LLC, a joint venture of Avangrid Renewables LLC and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, held groundbreaking ceremonies in November 2021 at Covell’s Beach in Barnstable, the site where two cables will make landfall and connect to the grid at a substation further inland on Cape Cod. Vineyard Wind 1, an 800-megawatt (MW) project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, will generate electricity in 2024 for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This first-in-the-nation, commercial-scale wind farm will create 3,600 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) job years, save customers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation, and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the road annually.
Massachusetts announced on December 17 procurement awards for the 1,232 MW Commonwealth Wind development, owned by Avangrid Renewables, and the 400 MW Mayflower Wind project, owned by Shell and Ocean Winds (a joint venture between Engie and EDP Renewables). These developments will include social, environmental justice, economic development, and port development benefits. Contracts for Commonwealth Wind and Mayflower Wind are expected to be negotiated by March 28, 2022, and final contracts need to be submitted for Department of Public Utilities approval by April 27, 2022.
Equinor Wind US, Ørsted, and Mayflower Wind continue to advance their other offshore wind development projects in the Northeast. RWE Renewables Americas and Diamond Offshore Wind are advancing their New England Aqua Ventus LLC (NEAV) floating wind demonstration project. NEAV uses a concrete semi-submersible floating platform supporting a 10-12 MW commercial wind turbine and is in a federally designated area 2 miles south of Monhegan Island, 14 miles off the coast of Maine. Offshore Wind Port planning and development activity is advancing in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
This year’s EBC offshore wind conference will start off with an update from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will provide an update on the latest offshore wind procurement in the Commonwealth. Staff from BOEM, the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA), will speak to the challenges and lessons learned in permitting these projects from a federal and fisheries perspective. Representatives from port facilities and wind developers will summarize the progress and outlook for their projects. Prysmian Group’s announcement of a new cable manufacturing facility in Somerset, Massachusetts signals that Commercial-Scale Offshore Wind Farm to Cable is Here.
We will also include an update on trends driving the industry including protection of the North Atlantic right whales, fisheries industry interests, climate change, local workforce and supply chain opportunities for high paying union jobs, turbine foundations and vessels, and improvements on federal and state permitting.
General Continuing Education Certificates are awarded by the EBC for this program (3.5 training contact hours). Please select this option during registration if you wish to receive a certificate.
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