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Massachusetts Governor inks new offshore wind legislation

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 12/08/2022 4C Offshore
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed into law new legislation that aims to advance offshore wind energy and the modernisation of the grid for its integration. 'Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind' also includes a mandate to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The new legislation seeks to create new tools to support wind industry development through supply chain advancement, infrastructure financing, and workforce development in the form of new tax incentives and grants. 

According to the legislation every distribution company shall, in coordination with the department of energy resources, jointly and competitively solicit proposals for offshore wind energy generation. However, the solicitation process is to be deemed competitive by the department of public utilities who will also assess any long-term contracts.

John Begala, Vice President of Federal and State Policy at the Business Network for Offshore Wind: “The sweeping energy bill signed into law today showcases why Massachusetts continues to be a national leader in offshore wind development. The benefits of offshore wind are as powerful as the turbines themselves – generating clean, reliable, and affordable energy for tens of millions of homes across our country, creating 77,000 well-paying jobs this decade, and revitalizing the shipbuilding and domestic manufacturing industries. The procurement reforms and historic investments will help the state fully realize all these economic and environmental benefits, leading to a stronger offshore wind industry with greater job creation, new economic activity, and a more reliable and affordable power sector.”

To date, Massachusetts has held three rounds of offshore wind solicitations which bring the total amount of offshore wind procured by the State to approximately 3.2 GW. In the first round,
Vineyard Wind 1 won with an 800 MW bid. In 2019, Mayflower Wind won with 804 MW.

Towards the end of last year State of Massachusetts selected two projects to move forward to contract negotiations. Representing a combined total of 1.6 GW, the selected projects include a 400 MW proposal from Mayflower Wind and a 1,200 MW proposal from Vineyard Wind. The Mayflower Wind and Vineyard Wind bids were selected for contract negotiations based on criteria established under a Request for Proposals (RFP) released in May 2021.  


In March of 2021, Massachusetts' Governor Baker signed climate change legislation that increased the Administration’s authorization to solicit an additional 2,400 MW of offshore wind, bringing the state’s total commitment to 5,600 MW.


For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here.

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