US grid operator ISO-New England is mulling a request from Dong Energy after the Danish developer sought 800MW of grid capacity for its planned 1GW Bay State wind farm off the Massachusetts coast.
The developer aims to secure the link at Brayton Point power station in Somerset, Massachusetts, where an existing 1GW coal plant is scheduled to close next year.
The grid connection is not expected to involve any significant system upgrade costs, it is understood.
The request comes days after Massachusetts adopted an energy bill requiring utilities to contract 1.6GW of offshore wind power by July 2027.
It is the first legislation of its kind that includes a carve-out for offshore wind at a scale necessary to create a viable market in the US, Dong Energy said.
Dong secured a lease an area about 15 miles off Martha´s Vineyard last year to develop Bay State, its first offshore wind project in North America.
Image: Dong Energy
