US offshore transmission developer Anbaric has sent a request to ISO New England for an economic study into the impacts of 8GW, 10GW and 12GW of offshore wind on energy prices, emissions and fuel security.
The study has a 2030 target year and will also take into account upcoming retirements of the Vermont, Yankee, Pilgrim and Millstone nuclear plants.
Each year, ISO New England solicits economic study requests that seek information regarding the impacts of various power system scenarios.
Anbaric chief executive Ed Krapels said: “Over the past year, offshore wind targets have expanded across the New England states with numbers as large as 12,000MW becoming more of a reality.
“As New England moves forward with its current procurements and legislation, Anbaric is requesting this new study so that consumers, policy makers and regulators have access to updated data to reach informed decisions.”
Anbaric senior vice president of transmission strategy Theodore Paradise said: “Unlike past offshore wind studies, this request seeks to understand the impacts that larger amounts of wind energy would have.
“We expect the results to show that significant offshore wind additions will help resolve the region’s fuel security needs even with generator retirements and without significant new natural gas pipelines.”