Massachusetts delays offshore wind contract signing again

Massachusetts has again postponed signing offshore wind contracts with two projects – Iberdrola’s 791MW New England Wind 1 project and Ocean Winds’ 1287MW SouthCoast Wind 1 project. 

State and utility officials had asked the New England state to delay the signing of the contracts awarded in its fourth offshore wind solicitation by more than eight weeks, from an already delayed date of 15 January to 31 March, 2025. 

It appears to be a bearish sign given President Donald Trump’s all-out attack on wind on 20 January. 

Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, along with the utilities Unitil, Massachusetts Electric Company, National Grid and Eversource Energy, said they are now targeting contract filing contracts on or before 9 May. 

“These contract negotiations are multi-faceted and the parties need additional time,” said Lauren Diggin, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.  

Earlier this year, three New England states – including Massachusetts – had held the solicitation, the US’s first ever multi-state offshore wind auction.

In September, Massachusetts and Rhode Island had selected 2.9GW of projects, though one of the three – Vineyard 2 – lost its power deal with Massachusetts after the neighbouring state Connecticut chose solar instead of offshore wind. 

Iberdrola and SouthCoast Wind could not immediately be reached for comment.