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Offshore wind contract deadline is Monday, but will anyone sign?

A specialized "jack up" barge at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind site near the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Mass. on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Raquel C Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative)
Raquel C. Zaldívar
/
New England News Collaborative
A specialized "jack up" barge at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind site near the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Mass. on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Raquel C Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative)

Monday is the signing deadline for the state’s latest round of offshore wind contracts, but it’s unclear if any of the developers selected in September plan to sign.

Three offshore wind projects were selected for contracts, but one company, Vineyard Offshore, has already said it cannot move forward right away. Its selection by Massachusetts depended on Connecticut buying some of the power, and Connecticut chose not to do so.

The uncertainty comes at least in part from President Donald Trump’s opposition to offshore wind and his executive order halting permitting.

Only one of the three wind farms — New England Wind 1, by Avangrid — has all of its permits.

Avangrid declined to comment.

The third project, SouthCoast Wind, may have already signaled it won’t sign a contract.

As first reported in the New Bedford Light, the CEO of SouthCoast Wind, Michael Brown, has said in a court filing that executing a contract may be impossible.

The company tells CAI it plans to issue a statement Monday.

The Healey administration’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs would not comment on the risk that Monday could come and go with no offshore wind contracts signed.

The signing deadline has already been delayed four times.

Jennette Barnes is a reporter and producer. Named a Master Reporter by the New England Society of News Editors, she brings more than 20 years of news experience to CAI.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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