Mayflower Wind to link offshore wind to former coal plant site in Massachusetts

Mayflower Wind Energy LLC will bring offshore wind to Brayton Point, the site of a former coal power plant, in Somerset, Massachusetts, using transmission assets developed by Anbaric Development Partners LLC.

The two companies said on Thursday they have signed an agreement to this end.

Brayton Point will serve as a connection point for the federal offshore wind lease area being developed by Mayflower Wind that could host more than 2 GW of capacity. Mayflower Wind is a joint venture (JV) between Royal Dutch Shell Plc (AMS:RDSA) and Ocean Winds, which is a JV set up by EDP Renovaveis SA (ELI:EDPR) and Engie SA (EPA:ENGI). It said that the agreement with Anbaric supplements its efforts in Falmouth on Cape Cod to connect its first 804-MW project to the New England grid.

“Our position at Brayton Point only strengthens our efforts to provide additional clean offshore wind energy to New England,” said Mayflower Wind chief executive Michael Brown, noting that Massachusetts has recently issued its third solicitation for another 1,600 MW of offshore wind.

According to the announcement, the Brayton Point transmission assets are now owned by Mayflower Wind.

“Mayflower Wind is committed to helping Massachusetts and New England achieve their ambitious clean energy goals,” said Brown. “The transmission infrastructure at Brayton Point initially developed by Anbaric and now owned by Mayflower, will help us make those goals a reality,” he added.

Brayton Point is the site of a 1,600-MW power station, the largest coal-fired power plant in New England, that was closed in 2017. In 2019 Anbaric unveiled a plan to create a renewable energy centre there, including a landing point for offshore wind.

Brayton Point is described as an ideal interconnection location for offshore wind due to its grid infrastructure and waterfront location.

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