Posted Oct 30, 2019 at 1:22 PM. Updated Oct 30, 2019 at 3:52 PM
BOSTON — Mayflower Wind Energy has won the bidding war for Massachusetts’ second offshore wind contract.
The state’s electric companies selected the lowest-cost of Mayflower’s four bids, rather than ones designed to invest in port infrastructure or build a new manufacturing facility.
“When it was balanced on whole, this was the one that was most competitive on price and economic development,” state energy commissioner Judith Judson told reporters on a press call Wednesday. “Mayflower’s package for all their bids included significant economic development.”
Mayflower beat Bay State Wind and Vineyard Wind, both of which also submitted multiple bids with different selling points.
Electricity distribution companies Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil selected the winner in a state-supervised process created by Massachusetts’ 2016 energy diversity law, which required them to buy long-term contracts for at least 1,600 megawatts of energy from offshore wind.
Mayflower’s winning bid calls for 804 megawatts of generation capacity. Together with last year’s winning bid by Vineyard Wind for 800 megawatts, the state has fulfilled its procurement obligation under the 2016 law.
The companies have not yet signed contracts with Mayflower. Wednesday’s announcement begins the negotiation phase. The bid schedule calls for contracts to be executed by Dec. 13 and sent to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for approval.
Judson said the evaluators considered the proposals’ direct effect on the local economy, including the number of jobs they would bring, binding commitments they would make, and the overall scale and credibility of the offers.
“We are confident what they put forward in that bid provides significant economic benefits to Massachusetts and the SouthCoast region,” she said.
The federal approval process for Vineyard Wind’s 2018 winning bid has stalled, leaving the construction timeline for that project uncertain. How that delay could affect Mayflower remains uncertain.
Mayflower Wind Energy is a joint venture of the Shell oil company and EDP Renewables, which is part of the Portuguese energy company EDP (Energias de Portugal).
Original story here.