Anbaric Development Partners (ADP) has received an approval from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to move ahead with its proposal to develop a shared transmission system in Massachusetts.
The approval allows ADP to solicit customers and sell transmission rights to a 2GW to 2.4GW offshore wind transmission system in southern New England named as Massachusetts Ocean Grid.
It also allows ADP to offer the transmission system to offshore wind developers with federal leases and also those who are likely to bag federal leases in the future.
Overall, the new transmission project will help Massachusetts to fully exploit the potential of offshore wind power.
ADP CEO Edward Krapels said that the long-term energy vision of Massachusetts will be bolstered by developing a transmission backbone to expand offshore capacity of the region efficiently.
Krapels added: “The Massachusetts Ocean Grid will provide a common offshore interconnection point for multiple wind developers, rather than relying on each wind developer to build its own individual generator lead.
“The transmission backbone must be carefully designed to optimize the limited number of on-shore interconnection points, maximize competition among wind generators, and minimize the environmental impact of the transmission needed to bring offshore wind to market.”
ADP said that the first phase of the Massachusetts Ocean Grid is estimated to be commissioned by December 2021 with the full system to begin operations by 2025.
The company was formed last year by Massachusetts-based Anbaric and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board.
Anbaric has been associated with multiple electric transmission projects in the US. These include the 660MW Neptune Regional Transmission System, the 660MW Hudson Transmission Project, the 1.2GW Maine Green Line, the 400MW Vermont Green Line and the 500MW Poseidon Project.