First utility-scale US offshore wind farm seals grid connection deal to export power
Agreement between Vineyard Wind and transmission system operator ISO New England key step for delayed project off Massachusetts
Developer Vineyard Wind has set the seal on a milestone deal with Massachusetts transmission system operator ISO New England that will enable its eponymous 800MW offshore wind project in the US Atlantic to export electric power into a regional grid in the northeastern state once online.
The transmission agreement is the fledgling sector’s first for a utility-scale array in federal waters, but also gives Vineyard a first-mover advantage to access one of a limited number of onshore grid-connection points on the eastern seaboard.
“We’re very pleased to reach this agreement, another important milestone in a project that will bring an entirely new industry to the US,” said Sy Oytan, deputy CEO of Vineyard Wind, 50-50 owned by Iberdrola-controlled Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
“There is tremendous potential for job creation, not just during construction but also for operations and maintenance. These are good paying jobs that will be around for decades to come.”
As a nascent industry, offshore wind is starting from scratch and must build its own infrastructure in an ocean crowded with other users, while carefully protecting the marine environment under close federal and state supervision.
In September, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),which has responsibility for regulation of transmission and bulk sale of electricity in interstate commerce, issued final acceptance for Vineyard to execute the interconnection accord with the regional grid operator, effective 10 July.
Power from the project, which will travel from a turbine production-collecting transformer substation via two high-voltage alternating-current seabed cables to landfall at Eversource Energy’s 115kV switch station in Barnstable, will provide electricity for 400,000 homes and businesses in the state over 20 years.
In the absence of an offshore grid, projects there must compete with those onshore for available grid capability and to obtain injection rights through queues. This process was designed decades ago for generator connections to existing networks, not their expansion for public policy reasons such as offshore wind procurement mandates.