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Trade group says State must take transmission and procurement initiative The US state of Connecticut is well-poised between two key offshore wind regions in New York and New England, but must actively engage other states on regional transmission upgrades launch more procurement initiatives, according to a report out today from the Connecticut Wind Collaborative and energy consultancy Xodus. “While the offshore wind industry is facing headwinds and potentially slowing deployment, there is an opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure which will enable long-term, efficient build-out of the regional transmission network,” the report said. The state’s development as an offshore wind market was hurt by its having backed out of the multi-state procurement alongside Rhode Island and Massachusetts last fall, the report argued, and “security around Connecticut’s future offshore wind pipeline is absent”. So far Connecticut has procured power from Orsteds 704MW Revolution Wind, currently under construction. The state should consider introducing maximum and minimum capacities in future solicitation rounds, as well as a flexibility around points of interconnection and the broadening of local content definitions to include regional strategies. The report calls on the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to contribute to regional transmission planning and incorporate wind advocates into its efforts. “Immediate and continuous as works undertaken in the short-term are expected to inform and contribute to a long-term effort and build-out in response to broader regional demands and pressures,” the report reads. At the same time Connecticut has several established companies that can step into fill gaps in the offshore wind supply chain. The report singled out ocean monitoring company ThayerMahan, and vessel support companies Sea Services North America and Survival Systems USA as particularly well-suited to assist developers in the operations and maintenance phase of offshore wind development. |
