Vineyard Offshore and municipal light plant cooperative Energy New England have announced their intention to explore opportunities for ENE or its member municipal light departments to purchase power generated by Vineyard Offshore’s proposed Vineyard Wind 2 or a future project, should Vineyard Offshore be awarded a power purchase contract through a Massachusetts procurement.
“We are continuously looking for ways to help the more than 20 municipal light plants that are members of Energy New England increase and diversify their renewable energy portfolios in support of the Commonwealth’s environmental goals, and offshore wind will be a key part achieving these goals,” said John Tzimorangas, President and CEO of Energy New England.
“We have the greatest confidence in Vineyard Offshore as a partner in bringing this vital new source of clean power to Massachusetts cities and towns. They have shown to be good partners and stewards in this emerging industry,” he said.
Vineyard Offshore has proposed Vineyard Wind 2 in response to solicitations offered by Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Should the project be awarded by Massachusetts, the power generated by the 1,200-megawatt installation would be under contract with the three Massachusetts investor-owned utilities -- Eversource, National Grid, and Until -- which do not serve communities with municipal light plants.
Letter of Intent
Under a letter of intent signed by the two entities, Vineyard Offshore and ENE would explore options for the purchase of generation in excess of the 1,200 MW reserved for the three large utilities, or additional power from a future project awarded by Massachusetts, by ENE or some of its affiliated municipal utilities.
Vineyard Offshore estimates that potentially capacity of up to 20 MW could be available for these municipal utilities.
For the Vineyard Wind 2 proposal to the three New England states, ENE submitted a letter of support, as did a number of affiliated municipal utilities – Belmont, Braintree, Concord, Hingham, Holden, Littleton, Merrimac, Middleton, Reading, Taunton, and Wellesley – which serve Massachusetts cities and towns.
ENE is a municipal light plan cooperative that was established in 1998.
Owned by light departments in Braintree, Concord, Hingham, Reading, Taunton, and Wellesley, Massachusetts, ENE provides energy trading, wholesale risk management, and other services to municipal utilities in the Northeast.
ENE is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to providing its members with access to a diverse range of energy resources with the best possible service and at the lowest possible cost.
