Massachusetts Selects Mayflower Wind to Supply 804 MW of Offshore Wind

Mayflower Wind has been selected to provide
804 MW of offshore wind capacity to the state. This is the second project that
Massachusetts has selected and the one that will allow them to hit their target
of 1,600 MW of offshore wind energy by 2027.

Mayflower
Wind had submitted 4 projects.

• “Mayflower Wind MA Project 1 – 408
  MW”
• “Mayflower Wind MA Project 2 – 804
  MW Low-Cost Energy”
• “Mayflower Wind MA Project 3 – 804
  MW Infrastructure and Innovation”
• “Mayflower Wind MA Project 4 – 804
  MW Massachusetts Manufacturing”

Out of all the bids, Massachusetts decided to
go with the second project, deciding against the lower 408 MW and against
projects that would increase investment into manufacturing and port
infrastructure.

Massachusetts’s Move To Offshore

Massachusetts is one of the many states that
has increased investment into offshore wind energy. Although offshore wind is
more difficult to build, they generally allow for a more steady supply of wind,
and therefore, a more steady supply of power.

Back in 2016,
Governor Charlie Baker signed the “Act
To Promote Energy Diversity” which allowed for the
procurement of up to 1,600 MW of offshore wind among other renewable energy
requirements.

The first project that was selected was the Vineyard Wind Project for 800 MW of
offshore wind energy. This second project by Mayflower will allow the state to
hit that original 1,600 MW procurement set in the state back in 2016. Combined,
these projects will reportedly eliminate 3.3 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere annually.

However, there will likely be more projects to
come. On August 9th, 2018, Governor Baker signed “An Act to Advance Clean
Energy,” which required the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER)
to look into the costs and benefits of adding another 1,600 MW of offshore wind
capacity. In June, DOER released its recommendation stating that an additional
1,600 MW of offshore wind would benefit Massachusetts consumers.

Other Companies Involved

Mayflower was not the only company that was
involved, as both Vineyard Wind and Bay State Wind submitted their own
proposals for this second round of selection.

Earlier this year, Vineyard Wind
won the first bid. Through 160,000 acres of leased ocean south of Martha’s
Vineyard, they are going to provide 800 MW of offshore wind capacity. Vineyard
Wind is a partner of Vineyard Power,
a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to “help build a sustainable energy
future for Martha’s Vineyard.”

Bay State Wind is a 50/50 venture between Ørsted and Eversource Energy. Ørsted is a
power company from Denmark that is dedicated to offshore wind. Eversource
Energy is an energy provider for the Massachusetts area that is headquartered
in Boston.

Mayflower Wind is a joint venture between
Shell and EDP Renewables. EDP Renewables is focused on renewable energy
operations, mainly wind power, with 48 wind projects in 13 states. Shell is one
of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world. However, as this move
emphasizes, Shell has recently been investing more in power and
selling off its oil sands assets as they try to prepare
for the more green future.

With another 1,600 MW up for grabs, it is very
likely that all three of these joint ventures will submit more proposals.