Massachusetts and Southcoast Wind Balks Offshore Contracts To 2026

by Frank Haggerty

7 hours ago

Massachusetts DPU June 30, 2025-Offshore Wind Off Until 2026 

"Long-Term Contracts for Offshore Wind Energy Generation Pursuant to Section 83C of Chapter 169 of the Acts of 2008, as Amended – D.P.U. 23-42".
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"The current Section 83C RFP schedule, as amended, anticipates that contract execution with two counterparties will occur by June 30, 2025. Due to ongoing uncertainty caused by federal level activities, the counterparties have not yet completed their contract negotiations and are now targeting the completion of negotiations and execution of contracts on or before December 31, 2025. The Evaluation Team is now targeting the filing of contracts with the Department on or before February 25, 2026."
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On November 8, 2020, the Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker administration approved the contracts for offshore wind power generation from the Mayflower Wind project, today known as SouthCoast Wind.

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued an order approving contracts between SouthCoast Wind and Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil power companies. 

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In 2023, Massachusetts allowed SouthCoast Wind to walk away from the signed PPA contracts. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities required SouthCoast to pay 60 million in termination fees. 

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Massachusetts allowed new contracts for SouthCoast Wind later in 2023. 

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued this new offshore agreement, Mass DPU 23-42, on May 31, 2023, over two years ago for SouthCoast Wind. The execution of the Power Purchase Agreement contract negotiations has been extended to November 7, 2024, then to January 15, 2025, and subsequently to March 31, 2025, and then to June 30, 2025. 

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The Massachusetts DPU has claimed for years that Bay Staters can expect to save on utility bills with offshore wind power. There is very little offshore wind generating power in the Commonwealth, and ratepayers pay 30 percent more than in other parts of the country. 

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State officials and utilities are omitting facts from the public. In 2017, the 1000-megawatt Brayton Point Coal Plant closed. In 2019, the 680-megawatt Pilgrim Nuclear Plant was shut down. In 2024, the 1400-megawatt natural gas Mystic Generating Station was shut down.

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The state has replaced these plants with 100 megawatts of land-based wind power and less than 100 megawatts of offshore wind. 

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The Massachusetts energy policy is a catastrophic failure. Time to go SMR, small safe modular nuclear energy. 

 

  • Willem Post

    SMR sounds good, but the electricity cost/kWh would be at least 2 times gas fired CCGT plants that are up to 60% efficient, have very low CO2/kWh.

    It would take at least 5 to 8 years to build such SMRs

    A 500 MW (2 units at 250 MW each) CCGT power plant can be built in two years, at a turnkey cost of $2000/kW.

    New York State has finally agreed to allow the building of the gas pipeline from Pennsylvania.

    1 hour ago