3 offshore wind developers submit proposals for Massachusetts target

Dive Brief:

Three offshore wind developers submitted proposals this week for Massachusetts' solicitation for 400 MW of offshore wind capacity: Deepwater Wind, Bay State Wind and Vineyard Wind.
Bay State Wind said its project will also include a 55 MW battery storage solution. Deepwater Wind would utilize hydroelectric pumped storage in a partnership with FirstLight Power for its project as well.
Last year, Massachusetts required the state’s electric distribution companies to procure 1,600 MW of clean, offshore wind energy within the next decade. The initial RFP sought just a quarter of that total, but the amount could be increased depending on bids submitted.

Dive Insight:

Despite the setback of the cancellation of Cape Wind offshore wind project, the state is charging ahead to develop the resource.

Bay State's project would be located 25 miles off of New Bedford, a "significant distance away from the coast and residential communities," and includes a 55 MW battery storage solution. According to the company, it would be the largest battery storage system ever deployed in conjunction with a wind farm. Bay State's project would result in $1 billion in direct investment in the state, developers say.

Vineyard Wind says its proposal already has applications to state and federal agencies including the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities’ Energy Facilities Siting Board. The company would develop an 800 MW wind farm approximately 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

By filing for construction permits, Vineyard Wind says it is on track to complete the permitting process in time to begin construction in 2019.

Deepwater Wind's Revolution Wind offshore proposal would be paired with "a first-of-its-kind offshore transmission backbone developed in partnership with National Grid," and would also include a partnership with FirstLight Power that would utilize its Northfield Mountain hydroelectric pumped storage in Northfield, Mass. Under Deepwater Wind’s proposal, Revolution Wind could be built at various sizes up to 400 MW in its first phase.

Development of offshore wind projects has been a struggle for Massachusetts. Earlier this month, developers canceled plans for a 468 MW offshore wind farm that would have been located five miles from Cape Cod, following years of staunch opposition from a range of well-funded opponents. The project was conceived in 2001 but faced years of delay and setbacks.