MA and RI Announce Offshore Wind Project - RI’s Share Is 7% of Production
GoLocalProv Business Team
MA and RI Announce Offshore Wind Project - RI’s Share Is 7% of Production
As a part of the procurement, Massachusetts selected 2,678 MW in total from three projects. This selection is New England's and Massachusetts’ largest offshore wind selection to date, representing nearly 20 percent of Massachusetts' overall electric demand.
Through this procurement, offshore wind will power over "1.4 million Massachusetts homes and reduce the state’s carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking one million gas-powered cars off the road," according to the State of Massachusetts.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe vast majority of this project is focused on Massachusetts. Rhode Island will receive just 6.9% of the power -- 200 MW.
The total cost of the projects is unknown, and the cost to customers is yet to be determined.
Massachusetts selected 1,087 MW of the 1,287 MW SouthCoast Wind multistate project, 791 MW of the 791 MW New England Wind 1 project, and up to 800 MW of the 1,200 MW Vineyard Wind 2 project.
“Today, we are proud to announce that, along with our partners in Rhode Island, we are taking an important step towards energy independence, cleaner air and transforming our economy. Simply put, we are going big,” said MA Governor Maura Healey. “This selection is New England's and Massachusetts’ largest offshore wind selection to date. We'll power 1.4 million more Massachusetts homes with clean, renewable energy, create thousands of good, union jobs, and generate billions of dollars in economic activity. The world will look to New England for the future of clean energy.”
“This historic offshore wind selection is an important building block to our regional offshore wind industry,” said MA Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This year, we broke ground on a new offshore wind port in Salem, expanded our terminal in New Bedford, invested in job training and academic programs and won $389 million in federal funds for transmission. Like any new industry, offshore wind has faced headwinds, but our coalition of states is rising to meet the challenges and seize the tremendous economic, climate, and energy opportunities on the other side.”
"Today marks a historic milestone for Rhode Island and Massachusetts as we join forces to drive the largest offshore wind procurement in New England's history," said Governor Dan McKee. “With this project, Rhode Island is taking a significant step forward in meeting our Act on Climate goals and building a clean energy economy that benefits all Rhode Islanders. Together with Massachusetts, we are setting a precedent for regional collaboration in clean energy and advancing a sustainable, resilient future."
About the Projects
All three projects intend to utilize Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), create thousands of jobs and direct investments in the regional economy. All of New England’s purpose-built offshore wind ports in New England – New Bedford, New London, Salem, and Providence Port – will have tenants through 2032 as a part of this selection.
The SouthCoast Wind project expects to provide 3,915 high-paying jobs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and will invest in programs, including through partnerships with Bristol Community College/National Offshore Wind Institute and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, to offer training to Massachusetts residents to work in every level of the offshore wind industry. Construction on the project is expected to start in 2025 and is expected to deliver power by 2030.
The Vineyard Wind 2 project will generate 3,800 job-years of employment across New England, with 80 percent in Massachusetts. The project will also provide up to $37.5 million in directly funded initiatives to foster a diverse, inclusive offshore wind workforce and supply chain, help address energy burden for low- and moderate-income households, advance regional research efforts in fisheries and the environment, and establish the region as a global climate innovation lab. The Salem Offshore Wind Terminal will be the staging site for the project’s wind turbine installation and O&M will be located in New Bedford.
“Our region is heavily reliant on gas that comes to us from pipelines and ships. For decades, our entire region has experienced significant swings in prices while also worrying about reliability. Offshore wind will bring stability to Massachusetts at a critical time,” said Massachusetts Secretary for Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper. “Combined with solar and hydropower, Massachusetts future resource mix promises stability as our economy continues to grow. By going big with projects now, we will be able to get ahead of the world in the global race for developers, vessels, materials, and expertise.”
“Offshore wind is a critical tool in fighting climate change,” said Massachusetts Commissioner of Energy Resources Elizabeth Mahony. “Every year of progress we make in fostering this important clean energy source is a step closer to ending our reliance on costly and polluting fossil fuels. Hot summers, stormy seas, and devastating floods are hitting communities across New England hard. We’re grateful to our partners in Rhode Island for joining together on the solution, and I’m proud of my team for leading the state’s first direct procurement of offshore wind.”