Vineyard wins Connecticut offshore wind tender with 804-MW bid

Connecticut has selected Vineyard Wind LLC’s 804-MW Park City Wind Project as the winner in a major solicitation for offshore wind projects, it was announced on Thursday.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said that Vineyard Wind has offered “a price lower than any other publicly announced offshore wind project in North America. Specific details were not disclosed.

Vineyard Wind, a 50/50 partnership between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Avangrid Renewables LLC, will now have the right to start negotiations for a final contract with Connecticut’s two electric utilities -- The United Illuminating Company and Eversource Energy. That contract will have a 20-year term and will be subject to approval by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).

The 804-MW project was one of the versions with which Vineyard Wind competed in the request for proposals (RfP), which attracted more than 30 bid variants from three developers. The winning project is due for completion in 2025 in one of the two federally designated lease areas south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

According to DEEP, the Park City scheme is the largest purchase of renewable energy in Connecticut’s history. When the park is operational it will produce the equivalent of 14% of the state’s electricity supply, supporting Connecticut’s goal for 100% carbon-free power by 2040.

The offshore wind project is estimated to bring USD 890 million (EUR 801.5m) in direct economic development to the state, which will include investment in the redevelopment of port facilities in Bridgeport Harbor.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.901)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!