New England Wind bid now has federal approval. What could that mean for New Bedford?
Avangrid, Inc. — one of the entities connected to the offshore wind farm project known as Vineyard Wind 1 — announced this week that its Construction and Operations Plan, or COP, for the New England Wind 1 and 2 offshore projects now has "full federal approval." If one or both are selected to move forward, Avangrid has plans to bring an industry-first to New Bedford, according to the company.
In its announcement, Avangrid, Inc. called the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's approval "a critical milestone" that "largely completes the federal, state, and local permitting process for Avangrid’s 791 Megawatt New England Wind 1 project." New England Wind 2 is contingent upon a version of the plans in which New England Wind 1 also moves forward. Another version accounts for New England Wind 1 moving forward alone. Decisions on proposals for the next round of wind projects involving Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut should be made by state officials sometime in August, according to Avangrid's release.
"New England Wind 1 is the only project in the solicitation that has all federal, state, and local permits; the ability to start construction in 2025; and deliver power by 2029," the release reads.
"The approval of our COP reflects the depth of our expertise, our exhaustive and detailed planning, and our ability to deliver these critical projects," said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra in the release. "By securing all federal, state, regional, and local permits, New England Wind 1 has the potential to put shovels in the ground next year and deliver thousands of jobs, local investment, and needed clean energy before the end of the decade.”
What does it mean for New Bedford?
If New England Wind 1 — or both NE Wind 1 and 2 — are selected, Avangrid has plans to make New Bedford home to a U.S. manufacturing first.
"Avangrid is partnering with global offshore wind lifting equipment manufacturer Liftra, committing the seed funding and supply procurement to establish the first-in-the-nation 'davit crane' manufacturing facility at the South Coast Mills site near the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal," a past press release reads. "Davit cranes lift equipment and tools for workers to build, maintain and repair the turbines, and are a critical component for offshore wind turbines not currently manufactured in the US."
According to that release — from the March announcement of Avangrid's New England Wind bids — New England Wind 1 would also utilize the Foss Marine Terminal in New Bedford as its crew transfer site; and Avangrid has a signed agreement to locate an operations and maintenance site at Shoreline Offshore facilities in New Bedford.
Get some background: Avangrid and Vineyard Offshore submit bids for tri-state offshore wind auction
Where would New England Wind 1 and 2 go?
New England Wind 1, according to the release, "is an exceptionally advanced and shovel-ready project in federal lease area OCS-A 0534, roughly 30 miles south of Barnstable, Massachusetts and making landfall under the Craigville Beach parking lot."
"The project will border Vineyard Wind 1 to the south," the release reads.
According to a project overview found on BOEM's website, New England Wind 2 would be directly to the south of New England Wind 1.
Both wind farms would have a combined 129 turbines, according to BOEM's site.
How do the New England Wind projects compare to Vineyard Wind projects?
Of the proposed wind projects, Vineyard Wind 1 — essentially a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) — is the only one currently under construction. When complete, the companies say it will supply 800 megawatts of power. Vineyard Wind 2 — a Vineyard Offshore project bid still up for states' selection this summer — would bring 1,200 megawatts.
Catch up some: Vineyard Offshore's CEO shared new details on Vineyard Wind 2 during a New Bedford visit.
As reported in the past, Vineyard Offshore is the name of CIP's offshore development entity.
New England Wind 1 would produce 791 megawatts, Avangrid said, while New England Wind 1 and 2 would make for a total of 1,870 megawatts.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New England Wind could boost offshore wind biz in New Bedford
