Massachusetts

Deepwater Wind won the country’s first ever federal offshore wind lease auction, acquiring an area nine miles from the coast of Massachusetts. The company subsequently signed a landmark agreement with NWF and other environmental organizations to protect endangered whales as their projects move forward in this area. Learn more.

DONG Energy and Offshore MW each acquired leases for areas of federal waters over 12 miles offshore that could power more than 300,000 homes. Two adjacent areas of the same size were designated for wind energy development and are available for lease. Learn more.

Governor Charlie Baker signed into law An Act to Promote Energy Diversity, which includes a commitment to develop at least 1,600 megawatts offshore wind power – enough to power half a million homes! Learn more.

All three lease-holding companies signed an agreement with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to use the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford as a launch pad for their projects, supporting local jobs. Learn more.

The Baker Administration issued a draft Request for Proposals (RFP), indicating how last year’s offshore wind power commitment will be implemented, followed by a 2-week public comment period. A final version of the RFP has a deadline of June 30, 2017, at which point offshore wind developers will prepare their competitive proposals. Learn more.

The Baker Administration issued the final Request for Proposals, inviting developers to submit bids for the nation’s largest offshore wind power developments — enough to power more than 180,000 homes. Developers have until December 2017 to submit their proposals. Learn more.

All three lease-holding developers Vineyard Wind, Deepwater Wind, and Bay State Wind) submitted bids in response to the Baker Administration’s Request for Proposals.

Vineyard Wind was selected to develop 800 MW of offshore wind power south of Martha’s Vineyard! The contract now needs to be approved by the Department of Public Utilities. Learn more.

UMass Dartmouth, Bristol Community College, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy sign “Connect4Wind” agreement for sharing resources and collaborating on the development of curriculum and programs centered on offshore wind energy. Learn more.

As part of a larger state energy bill, Massachusetts authorized (but did not require) the procurement of an additional 1,600 MW of offshore wind power by 2035. The bill calls for the Department of Energy Resources to first investigate the necessity, benefits, and costs of such additional development. Full bill available…

A letter from the MA Department of Energy Resources revealed that Vineyard Wind’s 800 MW project would provide energy at a levelized cost of 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, about 18 percent below alternatives in the market. At that price, over the course of 20 years, the project will save Massachusetts ratepayers approximately…

BOEM hosted a public meeting to discuss feedback they received from their Call for Information and Nominations for potential offshore wind energy leasing and development in the New York Bight.