Greece’s Hellenic Cables won a contract to supply 300km (186 miles) of 66kV inter-array cabling for Mayflower Wind’s 804MW project off the southern coast of the US state of Massachusetts.
Hellenic will manufacture the cables at its facility in Corinth, Greece, by the end of 2023 with final installation expected around 2025 to connect the array’s turbines to its offshore substation, according to the company.
Denmark’s Semco Maritime, which awarded the contract, did not make financial terms public.
Last week, Mayflower joint venture partners Shell New Energies and EDPR selected Bladt and Semco to supply a 1.2GW substation for the project from Bladt’s factory in Denmark in 2024.
That contract was part of the developer’s effort to obtain the federal investment tax credit at 18% value this year for the project, according to chief financial officer Michael Brown. He noted earlier this month that securing the tax incentive would ultimately result in lower electricity costs for Massachusetts ratepayers.
Mayflower is advancing the project despite not having a power off-take contract approved by state utility regulators. While it is assuming some risk in doing that, the developer remains confident that a contract will get done, President John Hartnett, told Commonwealth.
On 10 January, the developer signed a contract with the three main electric distribution companies in Massachusetts that details pricing and other obligations. Mayflower expects to submit it to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) by 10 February, spokeswoman Liz Isherwood told Recharge.
Mayflower offered three price options for the project and all would be below what the distribution companies contracted for with Vineyard Wind’s nearby pioneering US offshore project that is awaiting federal regulatory approval.
Last October, Mayflower scored a key breakthrough in the fast-moving US offshore wind market when its project was selected by Massachusetts in its second tender to supply 804MW of capacity.
That award came only 10 months after the developer paid a record $135m in a competitive lease round for development rights and control of a zone in federal waters.
Updates with signing of contract and submission timing to DPU
