Vineyard Wind Wins Offshore Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has selected Vineyard Wind to advance to contract negotiations for its 804MW Park City Wind project as part of the state’s Request for Proposals (RFP).

The Park City Wind project will now enter into contract negotiations with the state’s two electric utilities, The United Illuminating Company and Eversource Energy, for a contract with a 20-year term.

The resulting contracts will be subject to review and approval by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).

According to DEEP, Park City Wind is offered at a price lower than any other publicly announced offshore wind project in North America.

It also includes an estimated USD 890 million in direct economic development, including Bridgeport Harbor and the local supply chain. Vineyard Wind estimates 2,800 direct full-time employment years will be created in Connecticut through the project.

The selection of the project, which will provide the equivalent of 14% of the state’s electricity supply, is said to represent the largest purchase of renewable energy in Connecticut’s history.

“Vineyard Wind is proud that our Park City Wind proposal was selected in this competitive process and we are excited to work with Governor Lamont and DEEP to deliver jobs and economic development opportunities to the Bridgeport region and meaningful reductions in harmful carbon emissions,” said Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind.

“We look forward to building on the work already underway with a network of project partners, local officials, the maritime community, other developers, and all stakeholders involved to make Connecticut a hub for the offshore wind industry in the United States for decades to come.”

To remind, DEEP launched the RFP for up to 2,000MW of offshore wind power in August, which represents the U.S. state’s first solicitation dedicated specifically to offshore wind development.

Vineyard Wind revealed shortly after that it had submitted a proposal that comprises a set of bids, including a required 400MW plan and options to develop projects that will generate 800MW, 1,000MW and 1,200MW of offshore wind capacity.

The joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Avangrid Renewables proposes to construct the project in one of its two federally designated lease areas located south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on the east coast.