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Connecticut ups offshore wind ambitions with request for 2,000 MW

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Connecticut ups offshore wind ambitions with request for 2,000 MW

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued a request for proposals for up to 2,000 MW of offshore wind power, as required by a newly enacted law mandating that capacity procurement by 2030.

The request, or RFP, issued Aug. 16, represents Connecticut's first solicitation dedicated specifically to offshore wind development. Under multiple RFPs in 2018, Connecticut has already procured a total of 304 MW of offshore wind capacity from the 704-MW Revolution Wind Offshore project. Revolution is jointly owned by the world's largest offshore wind developer, Denmark's partially state-owned Ørsted A/S, and by New England's largest utility, Eversource Energy. Eversource also has regulated utility operations in Connecticut.

"Offshore wind has the potential to significantly reduce the electric grid's dependence on fossil fuels, improve grid reliability in the winter, and advance clean energy jobs and development here in our state, all while helping Connecticut achieve critical climate goals," Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP, Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a news release.

DEEP said the new RFP's timeline aligns with a similar offshore wind solicitation issued by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, which, as a result, "enhances competition and urgency as the [federal] Production Tax Credit that benefits wind production sunsets at the end of the year."

Massachusetts utilities issued an RFP in May for up to 800 MW of offshore wind resources. Also, a Massachusetts study completed in late May called for the procurement of an additional 1,600 MW of offshore wind on top of 1,600 MW required by law.

DEEP will hold a bidders' conference Aug. 29 to allow potential bidders to ask the department questions about the offshore wind RFP. Bids are due by noon Sept. 30. DEEP will announce its solicitation decision in November.

The state energy agency also included a number of new stipulations in the offshore wind RFP submission process. These changes were made after DEEP and the Commission on Environmental Standards reviewed more than 150 comments from developers, stakeholders and the public following the mid-July release of a draft RFP. The agencies convened to develop best practices for offshore wind projects on avoiding, minimizing and mitigating any impacts to wildlife, commercial fishing and ecosystems.

In response to the comments on improving environmental standards for offshore wind development, DEEP inserted a requirement into the final RFP language that bidders include an environmental and fisheries mitigation plan for the construction and operation of offshore wind facilities. This mitigation plan must include an adaptive plan with clearly identified stakeholders, a stakeholder engagement process, a plan for pre-construction and risk assessment, a process to avoid, minimize and mitigate risks to stakeholders throughout the project phases, and a reporting schedule.

Additionally, mitigation plans must address how bidders will inventory, avoid, minimize and mitigate risk to birds, bats, commercial fisheries, marine mammals and sea turtles, with specific emphasis on underwater sound and collision. Among other changes, bidders must also include a plan on decommissioning the offshore wind farm that is line with a process outlined by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Among prospective bidders is Vineyard Wind LLC, the developer behind the 800-MW Vineyard Offshore Wind Project, now slated to be America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, off Cape Cod, Mass. When Connecticut's offshore wind mandate was signed into law in June, Vineyard praised the move and said that if it is selected by the state, the company will invest millions into converting the Bridgeport, Conn., city harbor into a shipping channel and staging area for ongoing construction of its project. Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Denmark-based Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S and Avangrid Inc. subsidiary Avangrid Renewables LLC. Avangrid also has regulated utility operations in Connecticut.

In May, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also announced that the state is partnering with offshore wind developer Bay State Wind LLC to redevelop the state pier in New London, Conn., to make it a hub for New England's offshore wind industry. As part of that private-public partnership, Connecticut and Bay State will invest $93 million on upgrades to the pier's infrastructure and lift capability needed to support a heavy-cargo port facility. Bay State Wind is a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource.