Proposals for an independent, shared offshore transmission network off Massachusetts got a lukewarm reaction from developers holding leases off its southern coast, who urged the US state to sort out its onshore power system as the more urgent priority.

Massachusetts is studying whether to procure independent transmission as part of its next 1.6GW offshore wind capacity round.

If the state advances with paired competitive solicitations for generation and delivery, it would create a new US structure for offshore wind procurement that enables a third party to develop, own and operate the transmission associated with a wind farm.