Another Later-Stage Development U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Shelved

Vineyard Offshore shelved its proposed project after Connecticut decided not to select wind in its current alternative energy solicitation (iStock)

Published Dec 24, 2024 12:49 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Vineyard Wind, an affiliate of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, confirmed in a brief statement that it is shelving the proposed Vineyard Wind 2 project in response to Connecticut’s decision not to proceed in awarding wind projects after the recent New England tri-state solicitation. The project had been selected by Massachusetts and is in a later stage of permitting at the federal level.

“With Connecticut’s decision today (December 20) not to purchase the remaining 400 MW, we are unable to contract the project’s full 1200 MW at this time. We look forward to advancing this project and participating in future solicitations,” Vineyard Offshore wrote in its response.

Connecticut along with Massachusetts and Rhode Island launched the first multi-state coordinated solicitation earlier this year saying it was in response to the changing market conditions and challenges faced by offshore developers. They provided the opportunity for projects to bid either multi-state or individually. 

Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced in September that they had selected three projects with a total projected capacity of 2.9 GW. The two states will share SouthCoast Wind (which received federal approvals last week) while Massachusetts also selected New England Wind 1 with 791 MW of capacity. It also said it would take 800 MW from the 1,200 MW Vineyard Wind 1 project. It implied it would be sharing the project with another state.

Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut’s regulators announced Friday that they were proceeding with solar power but decided not to take up any offshore wind in the current round. Lamont generally referenced cost considerations for power while saying the state was not ruling out offshore wind power in the future.

CIP won the lease area which is approximately 29 miles south of Nantucket in a 2018 lease auction. The project has advanced with its Construction draft and Operations Plan on file at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. In March 2024, BOEM included Vineyard Wind 2 in its announcement for an environmental impact statement to advance New England’s offshore wind projects. The hearings have been completed and BOEM is working on its report and the EIS. 

Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton said in September 2024, “We look forward to Connecticut’s forthcoming decision on the remainder of the procurement so that we can begin to deliver important economic and climate benefits to the region.”

Vineyard Offshore is in a joint venture partnership to develop Vineyard Wind 1, which is under construction. It holds the Vineyard Northeast lease off the coast of Massachusetts which is where the second project would be located, as well as Vineyard Mid-Atlantic which includes Excelsior Wind in the New York Bight. It also has a lease area off the coast of Humboldt County in Northern California.

Japan Accelerates Offshore Wind Selecting Consortiums for Two Larger Farms

Japan is developing near-shore fixed bottom offshore wind projects before transition to floating wind (JERA)

Published Dec 25, 2024 2:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Japan Accelerates Offshore Wind with Projects Involving BP, JERA, Marubeni, and Others

Japan selected two consortiums to develop offshore wind projects as it seeks to accelerate its renewable energy programs. Combined the two projects would provide over 1 GW of energy and one could be one of the largest offshore wind farms yet developed in Japan.

The country’s third round solicitation had run during the half of 2024 and was being closely followed in the industry. Previously, Japan attracted Iberdrola and RWE for projects. The winners of this round included BP and JERA, which separately have announced plans to combine their operations, as well as participation in the consortiums from Marubeni, Tokyo Gas, Kansai Electric Power, and others.

The winners were selected jointly by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. The Ministries highlight the experience of the companies including JERA which has projects in Taiwan and Europe and partner Green Power Investment Co. which managed the entire process for the Ishikari Bay New Port Offshore Wind Farm which started operation in May 2024 with 112 MW and Wind Farm Tsugaru, which started operations in January 2024 with a capacity of 122 MW. The two projects are among the largest in the country currently.

Both the projects selected in this next round are for fixed-bottom wind farms which will be placed closer to shore. Japan’s offshore topography limits the opportunities for fixed-bottom wind farms with the expectation that it will need to deploy floating wind farms to reach its power goals.

One project will be located in the Sea of Japan offshore of Aomori Prefecture in the northern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu. It will consist of 41 turbines manufactured by Siemens Gamesa with a total capacity of 615 MW, making it one of the largest offshore wind power generation projects in Japan. The Tsugaru Offshore Energy Consortium consists of JERA, Green Power, and Tohoku Electric Power.

Slightly further to the south also on the Sea of Japan offshore of Yuza Town in Yamagata Prefecture the second project will consist of 30 Siemens Gamesa turbines for a total capacity of 450 MW. The Yamagata Yuza Offshore consortium consists of Marubeni, BP, Kansai Electric Power, Tokyo Gas, and Marutaka. 

The sites were selected by the government in October 2023. The ministries report the two projects will each start operations in June 2030. The country’s goal is for 10 GW by 2030 and 45 GW by 2040 from offshore wind.