The RFP, which is due to close by mid-day 30 September 2019, represents the first solicitation in the state that is dedicated to offshore wind development
Image: Connecticut DEEP seeks bids for construction of up to 2,000MW of offshore wind projects. Photo: courtesy of A_Different_Perspective from Pixabay.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in the US has floated a request for proposals (RFP) for up to 2,000MW of offshore wind projects.
The RFP, which is due to be closed by mid-day 30 September 2019, follows a draft request for proposals issued by DEEP in mid-July 2019 that received more than 50 comments plus 100 additional comments and emails directed to the Commission on Environmental Standards.
DEEP made changes to the final RFP language
Following reviews, DEEP made changes to the final RFP language which require bidders to include an environmental and fisheries mitigation plan, an adaptive plan, a data reference and sharing plan, information on a decommission plan, and addressing how the bidder will inventory, avoid, minimize, and mitigate specific hazards.
Connecticut governor Ned Lamont said: “This RFP represents the future of the state’s environmental, energy, and economic potential.
“I commend DEEP and the Commission on Environmental Standards for working so thoroughly to find the right balance in this RFP to preserve our ocean ecosystem while encouraging the development of a local renewable energy industry.”
The RFP represents the first solicitation in the state that is dedicated to offshore wind development.
DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes said: “Offshore wind has the potential to significantly reduce the electric grid’s dependence on fossil fuels, improve grid reliability in the winter, and advance clean energy jobs and development here in our state, all while helping Connecticut achieve critical climate goals.
“I am grateful to the Commission on Environmental Standards for working quickly to inform DEEP about opportunities to pursue offshore wind development in a manner that minimizes environmental and fisheries impacts, both in this RFP process and in any steps that follow the selection of a project in this RFP.”
In January 2019, Connecticut DEEP selected Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project for negotiations regarding the sale of 100MW offshore wind capacity to the state’s power distribution companies.
The new offshore wind farm located within the northern Massachusetts-Rhode Island BOEM lease area will be built about 25kms south of the Rhode Island coast.