Avangrid Submits Proposals for Transformative New England Wind Projects to Regional Offshore Wind Solicitation

Avangrid, Inc. (Avangrid), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, submitted multiple proposals for mature, transformative New England Wind projects to the Massachusetts-Connecticut-Rhode Island multi-state solicitation for offshore wind power. New England Wind, representing two projects—the 791 Megawatt (MW) New England Wind 1 project and 1,080 MW New England Wind 2 project—are among the most mature offshore wind opportunities in the nation, with the ability to achieve commercial operations before the end of the decade, delivering an urgent energy, climate, and economic solution to the region.

Avangrid submitted a bid for New England Wind 1, a second bid for New England Wind 1 and 2 combined, and additional bids for single-state procurements in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. 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.

“At this historic turning point for climate action, New England Wind answers the region’s call for projects that reflect the urgency, ambition, and certainty the moment demands,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “In powering up the first-in-the-nation Vineyard Wind 1 project, Avangrid proved that American offshore wind is possible. New England Wind 1 in particular builds on this momentum by offering a shovel-ready project that is prepared to start construction as soon as next year. With nearly all local, state, and federal permits in hand, all interconnection rights secured, and a Project Labor Agreement signed with a skilled, local, union workforce, Avangrid is ready to go.”

Proposal One: New England Wind 1—791 Megawatts

New England Wind 1, formerly known as Park City Wind, 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 enough clean, reliable energy to power approximately 400,000 homes and reduce emissions equivalent to taking 300,000 gasoline-based cars off the road annually.

New England Wind 1 will create more than 4,400 full-time equivalent jobs and bring $3 billion of direct investment to the region.

New England Wind 1 offers extraordinary certainty and viability. With complete state, regional, and local permitting, a signed host community agreement with the Town of Barnstable, and a nearly complete federal permitting program, the project can begin construction as soon as next year and achieve commercial operations in 2029, helping achieve ambitious 2030 state climate targets set by the New England states. The project received a Final Environmental Impact Statement from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in February 2024, with a Record of Decision (ROD) anticipated in April 2024 and Construction and Operations Plan (COP) Approval anticipated in July 2024.

New England Wind 1 also offers transformational economic opportunities for the region.

Investing in the American Offshore Wind Supply Chain

• Catalyzing New Offshore Wind Marshalling Port in Salem, Massachusetts: New England Wind 1 will provide $30 million in upfront investment, and $100 million in lease payments to catalyze the development of a world-class offshore wind marshalling port in Salem, Massachusetts. Avangrid has entered into a binding lease with Crowley, which holds a lease at Salem Harbor, for a facility that will be owned by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. New England Wind 1 will serve as Crowley’s anchor tenant, supporting the development and construction of this new port.
• Bringing Offshore Wind Manufacturing to New Bedford, Massachusetts: Avangrid is partnering with global offshore wind lifting equipment manufacturer Liftra, committing the seed funding and supply procurement to establish the first-in-the-nation “davit crane” manufacturing facility at the South Coast Mills site near the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. Davit cranes lift equipment and tools for workers to build, maintain and repair the turbines, and are a critical component for offshore wind turbines not currently manufactured in the US.
• Utilizing New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal as a Construction Logistics Hub with American-Made Vessels: Avangrid will expand the South Coast’s offshore wind economy by utilizing the newly constructed Foss Marine Terminal for a Construction Logistics Hub where all crew transfers will take place, using a purpose-built service operations vessel (SOV) by Edison Chouest Offshore and two crew transfer vessels (CTVs), one purpose-built locally for the Project, operated by local company Patriot Offshore Maritime Services.
• Locate O&M Hubs in Bridgeport, New Bedford: Avangrid has signed agreements with landowners in Connecticut and Massachusetts to site operations and maintenance facilities for its nation-leading offshore wind portfolio at Barnum Landing in Bridgeport and Shoreline Offshore facilities in New Bedford.

Growing the New England Clean Energy Workforce

• Project Labor Agreement with Massachusetts Building Trades: Avangrid has executed a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Massachusetts Building Trades Council to cover onshore construction work, such substations and electric duct banks, and is in advanced negotiations with the National Building Trades Union to sign another PLA covering offshore construction, which Avangrid expects to sign shortly. These agreements will result in hundreds of direct high-paying jobs.
• Building a Diverse and Inclusive Offshore Wind Workforce: Avangrid is partnering with various institutions and organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, with a focus on ensuring Environmental Justice (EJ) populations and other underrepresented communities have access to the training, certifications, and education necessary to secure quality, well-paying jobs in offshore wind.
• Delivering a Training Hub with Survival Systems USA at the Port of Davisville: Avangrid will establish a first-of-its kind foundation component-based training center located at the Port of Davisville with Survival Systems USA (Survival Systems), expanding the Connecticut-based woman-owned business into Rhode Island and establishing a regional training hub.

Bringing the Benefits of Offshore Wind Power to New England Communities

• Establishing First Offshore Wind Partnership with City of Boston: Avangrid has entered into an MOU with the City of Boston, in which it will deliver 15 MW of power to Boston should the project win a bid award. 15 MW is the clean energy equivalent of one turbine, providing power equivalent to 1/3 of all Boston Public Schools (BPS) buildings, as well as 5,000 residential homes. In addition, Avangrid has committed funding to support green jobs training at BPS vocational schools, giving students a pathway to well-paying jobs in the clean energy and offshore wind industries.
• Providing Clean Power to Other Massachusetts Municipalities: Avangrid has agreed to an MOU with the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), the Commonwealth’s designated joint action agency for municipal utilities in the state, which manages a 2.8 GW annual power supply portfolio for its 20 Member municipal utilities. Under this MOU, MMWEC and New England Wind will negotiate a long-term power agreement should the project win a bid award.
• Supporting Grid Modernization and Resilience on Cape Cod: Avangrid has signed agreements with Eversource to interconnect the New England Wind 1 Project to the ISO-New England (ISO-NE) grid, from cable landfall to grid injection, including the Large Generator Interconnection Agreement addressing grid upgrades, well ahead of other projects in this critical area. All of Avangrid's onshore works will use Massachusetts union labor.
• Directing Meaningful Benefits to Low-Income Ratepayers and Environmental Justice Communities: Avangrid will deliver direct benefits to low-income households by partnering with local organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island improving energy efficiency, resolving barriers that limit low-income household participation in energy efficiency programs program, and/or supporting the installation of rooftop solar for low-income households in Environmental Justice communities.

Proposal Two: New England Wind 1 + New England Wind 2 - 1870 Megawatts

As a combined bid, New England Wind 1 and 2 offer the region 1870 MW of clean, reliable offshore wind power, enough to power nearly 1 million homes and reduce emissions by nearly four million US tons, equivalent to taking 700,000 cars off the road annually. New England Wind 2, formally known as Commonwealth Wind, is only offered as a combined project with New England Wind 1 to capture important economics of scale and support significant grid upgrades.

Combined, the projects will create up to 9,200 full-time equivalent jobs and bring $8 billion in direct investment to the region.

Proposal Two offers unique additional economic benefits to the region, including:

• Prysmian Cable Manufacturing Facility at Brayton Point in Somerset: Prysmian Cable Manufacturing, a world-class cable manufacturer will establish a first-of-its-kind in the Northeast US state-of-the-art subsea cable manufacturing facility. If awarded a contract, New England Wind 2 will receive the first subsea export cables produced at this facility, with an executed contract guaranteeing the earliest possible economic benefits before Prysmian produces export cables for other domestic and global projects for years to come. The facility will not be built in time to be available for New England Wind 1.

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. Vineyard Wind 1, the first large-scale offshore wind project in the United States, is currently providing approximately 68 Megawatts to the New England grid, delivering a steady stream of clean energy that will help the region meet winter electricity demand. 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.