SouthCoast Wind bids for a share of energy in Massachusetts. What this means for Somerset.

Dan Medeiros, The Herald News
Updated ·3 min read
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SouthCoast Wind was one of four companies to submit bids on Wednesday to provide offshore wind energy to Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The company, which has offices in Boston and downtown Fall River, submitted a bid to provide 1,200 megawatts of power generated from wind turbines its lease area in the Atlantic Ocean, 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The electricity would be delivered via undersea cables running north to a substation SouthCoast Wind plans to build at Brayton Point.

Massachusetts has struggled to sign wind energy contracts recently, as offshore wind companies have blamed issues as varied as rising interest rates, supply chain problems and the war in Ukraine. Last year, SouthCoast Wind received permission to cancel its contracts with state utility companies after it said its project was “unfinanceable.”

Voice your opinion: SouthCoast Wind plans meeting on its Brayton Point plans

A boat is seen fishing in Buzzards Bay as seen from East Beach in Westport on a clear day. In the far distance the offshore wind turbines can be seen being constructed.
A boat is seen fishing in Buzzards Bay as seen from East Beach in Westport on a clear day. In the far distance the offshore wind turbines can be seen being constructed.

In October 2023, the three southern New England states banded together in a first-of-its-kind deal to buy wind power, an attempt to lure companies into finishing projects.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for the SouthCoast Wind project and the offshore wind industry in New England,” stated SouthCoast Wind CEO Michael Brown. “The first ever tri-state offshore wind solicitation demonstrates an unshakeable commitment to a clean energy future for all and we are proud to submit our bid.”

Besides SouthCoast Wind, companies submitting bids were Avangrid, Vineyard Offshore and Ørsted.

The bulk buy of up to 6,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy is a part of Massachusetts' goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.

Two men walk across the bridge to the dock in front of the wind turbine towers for the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm being assembled at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.
Two men walk across the bridge to the dock in front of the wind turbine towers for the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm being assembled at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.

When will we know if the wind companies' bids are approved?

According the state Department of Energy Resources, projects will be selected and negotiations start Aug. 7.

2023 withdrawal from contracts: SouthCoast Wind pulled out of its deal. Here's what that means for Somerset.

Could SouthCoast Wind potentially liquidate its contracts again?

Rebecca Ullman, external affairs director for SouthCoast Wind, said canceling the project in 2023 was “incredibly difficult.”

“The punishing inflation of 2020-2023 profoundly impacted infrastructure costs, upending the economics of projects that had fixed revenues but still needed to fix their costs,” she said.

Ullman credited the administration of Gov. Maura Healey for “providing us with a quick turnaround path to recompete,” and said the company has been making sure its project is shovel-ready immediately upon being awarded a contract.

“The clear lesson is that a quick turn from award to construction is critical to de-risk a macroeconomic environment that no one can control,” she said.

What are SouthCoast Wind’s plans for Somerset?

Somerset is part of a project the company calls SouthCoast Wind 1. Undersea cables coming from its wind farm will make landfall at a substation it will build at Brayton Point. There, it will convert the electricity from direct current to alternating current and feed it into National Grid’s power grid. 

The turbines in SouthCoast Wind’s lease area can generate a total 2,400 megawatts of power. The company's initial plan was for half of that to be delivered to Somerset’s substation and the other half to a substation in Falmouth. That Falmouth substation is still an option, Ullman said, but there are concerns about whether that site is viable. “SouthCoast Wind is looking closely at Brayton Point for delivery of the full lease area capacity of 2,400 MW.”

“The project is well-advanced in its permitting at both the federal and state levels,” Ullman said. "We expect to deliver clean energy from SouthCoast Wind 1 by 2030.”

Where can I find out more information about SouthCoast Wind’s plans for Somerset?

The company is planning a meeting in Swansea on Thursday, April 4. The public is invited.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: SouthCoast Wind among bidders for offshore power in Mass., RI, Conn.