NE4OSW Statement on Proposed Commonwealth Wind PPA Dismissal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2022
Contact:
Jennifer Delony, New England for Offshore Wind
jdelony@ne4osw.org, 603.320.7043
NE4OSW Statement on Proposed Commonwealth Wind PPA Dismissal
BOSTON – December 20, 2022 – New England for Offshore Wind (@NE4OSW) issued the following statement today regarding Avangrid’s Dec. 16 filing in Massachusetts seeking dismissal of the proceedings for the approval of Commonwealth Wind’s power purchase agreement (PPA), as well as the plan to bid the project in a new solicitation next year.
“Avangrid’s request to dismiss the Commonwealth Wind PPA proceedings is unfortunate. The Commonwealth Wind project is critical to Massachusetts’ ability to achieve its 2030 climate target and offshore wind goals. We are also disappointed that the state’s utilities and Avangrid were unable to renegotiate the PPA in a way that would continue to ensure fair energy prices for ratepayers and keep this important project on its intended timeline given the climate and economic benefits it was poised to provide.
While Massachusetts has not officially announced a new solicitation into which Avangrid could bid Commonwealth Wind in 2023, the coalition will advocate for a solicitation this spring, as required by law, to ensure Massachusetts stays on track with its offshore wind goals. We believe that the competitive bidding process will result in a beneficial cost of energy that will protect Massachusetts ratepayers from the ongoing price volatility of fossil fuels.”
About New England for Offshore Wind
New England for Offshore Wind (www.NewEnglandforOffshoreWind.org) is a broad-based coalition of businesses and associations, environmental and justice organizations, academic institutions, and labor unions committed to combatting climate change by increasing the supply of clean energy to our regional grid through more procurements of responsibly developed offshore wind. We believe that responsibly developed offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis while also strengthening our regional economy, protecting ratepayers, creating high quality jobs, and improving public health by reducing pollution.