HARTFORD, Conn. — Four project developers have submitted proposals to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as part of its multistate offshore wind project with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to a release that the department published on Wednesday.
DEEP issued its Request For Proposals this past October as part of a collaboration with Massachusetts and Rhode Island. DEEP’s RFP is for up to 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind.
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Once built, it would add to the 304 MW of offshore power that Connecticut will receive from the Revolution Wind Project, which is under development after being chosen by Connecticut and Rhode Island, DEEP’s release said.
The Revolution Wind Project will also deliver 400 MW to Rhode Island, powering more than 350,000 homes in Connecticut. The project is expected to be operational sometime in 2025.
According to the release, the Biden Administration issued updated guidance last week, ensuring that more offshore wind and other renewable energy projects are eligible to receive federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, which DEEP hopes will improve the projects’ affordability.
“We look forward to evaluating the submitted proposals received under this RFP over the coming months and coordinating review of any multi-state proposals received with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as we explore opportunities to bring more clean, affordable and reliable energy sources online for Connecticut residents,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in the release.
Over the coming months, DEEP will evaluate the proposals. It expects to announce in the third quarter of 2024 if any projects have been selected to move forward with power purchase agreement negotiations with the state’s distribution utilities.
The selection criteria outlined in DEEP’s RFP includes "a quantitative evaluation of the project’s cost and energy market impacts and a qualitative evaluation, which assigns points to bids based on various criteria, including consistency with the policy goals outlined in DEEP’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy and Integrated Resources Plan,” the DEEP release states.
According to the release, the criteria also mandates the bidder’s inclusion of meaningful public participation and environmental justice practices, plans for the use of skilled labor and impact on Connecticut’s economic development, and plans to and practices to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts to wildlife, natural resources, ecosystems and traditional or existing water-dependent uses, including, but not limited to, commercial fishing.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority must review and approve any PPA agreed to between a selected offshore wind developer and the utilities.
Currently, DEEP is also working on competitive solicitations for other zero-carbon resources like solar and onshore wind and for grid-scale energy storage “to secure the affordable, reliable and clean electricity that Connecticut needs,” the release said.
DEEP is reviewing proposals received under its solicitation for other zero-carbon resources, which were due on Jan. 31, 2024, the release said, adding that the department released an RFP for grid-scale energy storage on March 11, 2024, with bids due by April 18, 2024.
In the coming days, public versions of the of the offshore wind proposals DEEP has received with be available at DEEP’s Energy Filings webpage under the “2023 Offshore Wind Procurement”.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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