Completion of federal review represents
critical step in permitting for lease area with potential to
provide approximately 2 Gigawatts of clean, reliable power to the
region
Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company
and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that it has
received the federal Record of Decision (ROD) from the Department
of the Interior for New England Wind. The ROD represents a
significant permitting milestone that brings the lease area closer
to full federal approval for construction, with the Construction
and Operations Plan (COP) Approval anticipated for July 2024.
Issuance of the ROD by the Department of the Interior comes after
years of robust stakeholder engagement with Tribal Nations, members
of local residential and fishing communities, and other ocean
users. New England Wind, consisting of the New England Wind 1 and
New England Wind 2 projects, has the potential to create thousands
of jobs and provide enough clean, reliable energy to power nearly 1
million homes and businesses in the region. As the leading offshore
wind developer in the United States, Avangrid is spearheading the
development of the first-in-the-nation Vineyard Wind 1 project,
currently under construction and delivering clean, reliable power
to 30,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts.
“The Record of Decision issued by the Biden Administration today
represents a historic step toward the future of offshore wind in
the United States,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “The
Biden Administration, Secretary Haaland, and BOEM all deserve
immense credit for their thorough and rigorous review of New
England Wind, as well as their decisive action to move the nation’s
clean energy and climate goals forward. With this federal approval,
New England Wind stands apart as the most advanced and shovel-ready
offshore wind opportunity in the Northeast region. We are grateful
to our many supporters and stakeholders that participated in the
federal permitting process, and look forward to continued
engagement as we work to bring thousands of well-paying jobs and
clean, reliable power to New England.”
“The Biden-Harris administration has built an offshore wind
industry from the ground up after years of delay from the previous
administration. Today, we celebrate the incredible progress being
made toward achieving our goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind
energy capacity by 2030," said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The
New England Wind project will help lower consumer costs, combat
climate change, create jobs to support families, and ensure
economic opportunities are accessible to all communities.”
"With the approval of the New England Wind project, we have now
approved more than 10 gigawatts of offshore wind projects in under
three years," said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director
Elizabeth Klein. "BOEM is proud of our open communication and
frequent collaboration with federal partners, Tribal Nations,
states, industry and ocean users to shape project reviews and avoid
or minimize conflict with existing users and marine life.”
On March 27, 2024, Avangrid submitted multiple proposals for the
New England Wind projects to the Massachusetts-Rhode
Island-Connecticut Multi-State Procurement for Offshore Wind. The
states are anticipated to announce selected projects from the
competitive procurement in August 2024.
The ROD comes after years of analysis of potential environmental
impacts of Avangrid’s construction, operation, and conceptual
decommissioning plans by BOEM. Stakeholder engagement for this
critical environmental review included three virtual public
meetings hosted by BOEM to solicit additional feedback on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) published in late December
2023 and consideration of over 750 comments received from the
public. BOEM responded to all comments received in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), recently published on
February 26, 2024. The DEIS, FEIS, and ROD are available on BOEM’s
website.
New England Wind 1 is an exceptionally advanced and shovel-ready
project in federal lease area OCS-A 0534, roughly 30 miles south of
Barnstable, Massachusetts and making landfall under the Craigville
Beach parking lot. The project will border Vineyard Wind 1 to the
south.
New England Wind 1 offers extraordinary certainty and viability.
The ROD builds on the project’s complete state, regional, and local
permitting, a signed host community agreement with the Town of
Barnstable, and a Project Labor Agreement with the Massachusetts
Building Trades. If selected in the current competitive
procurement, the project can begin construction as soon as next
year and achieve commercial operations before the end of the
decade, helping achieve ambitious 2030 state climate targets set by
the New England states.
“As we confront the climate crisis, the need for clean energy
has never been more urgent. Avangrid’s success moving the New
England Wind lease forward brings offshore wind projects one step
closer toward development and becoming a reality for New England
residents,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
(D-Connecticut). “New England Wind will not only help meet
clean energy goals by reducing emissions and powering over 1
million homes and businesses with clean power, but will also
support good paying union jobs.”
“Today’s decision marks another milestone in the advancement of
offshore wind in the United States,” said Congressman Bill
Keating (D-Massachusetts). “Once fully developed, New England
Wind will power 1 million homes in the region while simultaneously
cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons annually. I have
long believed that offshore wind will play a critical role in
powering a greener and more climate friendly future for our region
and the entire country. Today, we see that vision coming closer to
fruition.”
“Today’s announcement means we are one step closer to making New
England Wind a reality – and reaping all the benefits it will bring
to our state and the region – clean energy for homes and
businesses, hundreds of good-paying union jobs, and a reduction in
carbon emissions that will be critical to meeting our climate
change goals,” said Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro
(D-Connecticut). “Projects like this are why I was proud to
support both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation
Reduction Act – both of which are making key investments to lower
energy costs for consumers and families and support our transition
to offshore wind and other forms of renewable energy.”
“After overcoming some challenging headwinds, the Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management’s Record of Decision for Avangrid’s New
England Wind is a major step in the right direction for the
region,” said Congressman Jim Himes (D-Connecticut). “Not
only will this offshore wind initiative provide a robust source of
clean power to nearly one million homes and businesses across the
northeast, but it will also create high quality, good-paying jobs
to help drive our economy forward while mitigating our carbon
footprint. I am eager to see it receive full federal approval in
the months to come.”
"I commend Avangrid for achieving this significant milestone
with the issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD) for New England
Wind. This represents a crucial step forward in the federal
permitting process, bringing us closer to realizing the immense
potential of offshore wind energy in our region,” said Joe
Curtatone, President, Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC).
“With the capacity to provide approximately 2 Gigawatts of clean,
reliable power to nearly 1 million homes and businesses, this
project underscores the vital role that renewable energy plays in
addressing climate change and advancing our transition to a
sustainable future. We look forward to seeing the continued
progress and positive impact of the New England Wind project as it
moves towards full federal approval and eventual construction."
“We applaud the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for issuing
the Record of Decision for New England Wind. This momentous
decision underscores the critical importance of standing up the
U.S. offshore wind industry efficiently and responsibly,
recognizing the balance between environmental protection and our
urgent need for sustainable energy,” said Kelt Wilska, Offshore
Wind Director, Environmental League of Massachusetts, and New
England for Offshore Wind Regional Lead. “The projects
comprising New England Wind can help New England continue building
a thriving offshore wind sector that fosters a diverse local and
regional supply chain with union jobs that provide stability,
security, and a pathway to prosperity for working families.”
“Approving the New England Wind project is a big step toward
reducing the region’s reliance on fossil fuels and building a
green, just economy," said Sierra Club Massachusetts Director
Vick Mohanka. “Responsible offshore wind development requires
carefully evaluating and mitigating potentially adverse impacts. We
look forward to seeing the New England Wind project continue to
protect critical interests and deliver benefits to host
communities, tribes, workers, consumers, and the environment."
“We applaud the Biden-Harris administration and BOEM for their
review of Avangrid’s New England Wind project and issuance of their
Record of Decision today,” said Dorothy Savarese, Board Chair,
Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative. “It is now well
documented that Cape Cod and its adjacent ocean waters are among
the very fastest warming locations in the world, adding further
urgency for Cape Cod’s transition to a sustainable energy future
which, in turn, depends on having access to ample supplies of
renewable energy. Offshore wind is an absolutely essential
component of that vision.”
“We applaud BOEM and the Biden-Harris administration for issuing
the Record of Decision (ROD) for Avangrid’s New England Wind
projects (formerly known as Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind),
and further scheduling the project’s COP approval later this
summer,” said Faith Communities Environmental Network of Cape
Cod (FCEN), Barnstable Representative of FCEN, Rev. Russ Norris,
and FCEN co-chairs, Susan Starkey and Rev. Brian McGurk. “The
climate emergency is an existential threat globally, and we face
the moral imperative to reduce carbon emissions while protecting
the community of life, human and more-than-human. FCEN supports
responsibly developed offshore wind projects such as this one.”
"We are excited to witness significant progress in our pursuit
of clean energy deployment. To achieve our decarbonization goals,
swift action is required. The ROD marks an important step towards
deployment of clean, renewable wind energy in New England,” said
Mike Urgo, President, Connecticut League of Conservation
Voters. “We are encouraged by this decision and the
collaborative, inclusive process that led to it. We eagerly
anticipate the day when wind energy powers homes and enhances air
quality for millions of people throughout New England."
“Offshore wind will be one of the biggest factors in whether we
succeed or fail in reaching critical, life-sustaining goals
associated with addressing climate change. BOEM’s Record of
Decision for Avangrid’s New England Wind lease area represents a
key and substantial step in the direction of moving forward on
offshore wind. We at the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy believe we must move at pace and scale on wind and this
decision helps us do just that,” said Nathan Frohling,
Director of External Affairs for The Nature Conservancy in
CT.
New England Wind 1 also offers transformational economic
opportunities for the region, including catalyzing a new staging
and assembly port in Salem; bringing an offshore wind davit crane
manufacturer to New Bedford, Massachusetts; locating Operations and
Maintenance facilities in Bridgeport, Connecticut and New Bedford;
and delivering an offshore wind training hub with Survival Systems
USA at the Port of Davisville in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The New England Wind lease area is projected to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions by nearly 4 million US tons, or the equivalent of
taking approximately 700,000 cars off the road each year during the
lifespan of the project. Combined, the projects will create up to
9,200 full-time equivalent jobs and bring $8 billion in direct
investment to the region.
In February 2024, Avangrid announced that it has powered up the
first five turbines for the nation-leading Vineyard Wind 1 project,
delivering clean energy to 30,000 homes and businesses in
Massachusetts. The first large-scale offshore wind project in the
United States, Vineyard Wind 1 will be the largest renewable energy
facility in New England once fully operational, delivering 806
Megawatts – enough clean electricity to power 400,000 homes and
businesses in the Commonwealth.
Vineyard Wind began offshore construction in late 2022, achieved
steel-in-the-water in June, and completed the nation’s first
offshore substation in July. Construction flows through the New
Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. In July 2021, Vineyard Wind
signed the first Project Labor Agreement for an offshore wind
project in the United States, which outlined the creation of 500
union jobs through the project. In December 2023, project
shareholders announced that Vineyard Wind 1 has delivered nearly
double of its commitment through the PLA by creating 937 union jobs
through two years of construction.
An 806-megawatt project located 15 miles off the coast of
Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Wind will generate electricity for more
than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, create 3,600 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) job years,
save customers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation,
and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million
metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the
road annually.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be
the leading sustainable energy company in the United States.
Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in
assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary
lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks
business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas
utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and
New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and
operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities
across the United States. Avangrid employs more than 7,500 people
and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as
one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best
corporate citizens. In 2023, Avangrid ranked first within the
utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company
supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named
among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2023 for the fifth
consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member
of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more
information, visit www.avangrid.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240402256835/en/
Craig Gilvarg, Director of External Communications
craig.gilvarg@avangrid.com (857) 998-1130
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