Bay State Wind LLC has qualified for a faster federal permitting process to seek approvals for its up-to-800-MW offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts, thanks to a provision in a 2015 transportation law.
The developers of the proposed wind farm, a joint venture of Ørsted A/S and Eversource Energy, announced March 14 that the project has been designated as a covered project under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, or the FAST Act, a federal law designed to improve federal environmental review and authorization process for certain infrastructure projects. Bay State Wind is designed to bid for local utilities' request for offshore wind projects
Under the FAST Act, complex infrastructure projects can qualify for an accelerated environmental review process that does not undermine environmental laws or opportunities for public engagement. Renewable energy facilities can qualify if they are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act and likely to require more than $200 million in investment.
Company officials said the project will benefit from better coordination of the federal reviews and permits it needs before construction.
"This covered project status will de-risk the permitting process and enhance the likelihood that we will receive our permit authorization on the timeline indicated in our bid," Eversource's Vice President of Business Development Mike Auseré said in a statement.
Ørsted North America President Thomas Brostrøm said the recent approval of its site assessment plan and the FAST Act designation will not only help Bay State Wind, but also "help Massachusetts realize its ambitions of becoming the hub for offshore wind development in North America."
Bay State Wind submitted its bid to fulfill a joint RFP from National Grid USA, Eversource and Unitil Corp. to build up to 800 MW of offshore wind as part of Gov. Charlie Baker's 2,800-MW clean energy mandate, which requires utilities to contract for 1,600 MW of offshore wind. Avangrid Renewables LLC and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S's JV Vineyard Wind LLC has submitted a bid for its Vineyard Offshore Wind Project, while Deepwater Wind and National Grid are also competing through their Revolution Wind project.
The bids will be evaluated by representatives from the utilities and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, overseen by an independent evaluator. The deadline for selection of one or more projects is April 23.
