New England Wind

New England Wind is a proposed offshore wind energy project developed by Avangrid. It is located approximately 20 nautical miles (37 km) south of Martha's Vineyard and 24 nautical miles (44 km) southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts. New England Wind's lease areas are situated on the Outer Continental Shelf, in federally leased areas managed by the Bureau of Energy Management (BOEM). Originally titled Vineyard Wind South, the project has been divided into two lease areas. New England Wind 1, formerly known as Park City Wind, will be constructed in the northern lease area OCS-A 0534. New England Wind 2, formerly known as Commonwealth Wind, will be located in the southern lease area OCS-A 0561. The project will be connected to the onshore grid via cables from the wind farm to a substation at Craigville Beach in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

The project's development process spans approximately nine years, beginning with the lease acquisition in 2015 and culminating in key approvals in 2024. During this period, the project encountered several challenges, including financial constraints, geotechnical issues related to glauconitic soils, and regulatory complexities. Despite these obstacles, BOEM approved the project's Construction and Operations Plan (COP) in July 2024, permitting the installation of up to 129 turbines and multiple export cables to connect to onshore infrastructure in Massachusetts. Upon completion, the project is expected to have a generation capacity of up to 2,600 megawatts (MW), which BOEM estimates could supply electricity to approximately 900,000 homes annually.

New England Wind 1 was awarded a contract by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to develop 791 MW of capacity as part of the first multi-state offshore wind procurement under the “Power Up New England” plan, which aims to enhance clean energy development across the region. The Commonwealth's Clean Energy and Climate Plan outlines the actions Massachusetts must undertake to meet its climate goals. New England 1 is one of several offshore wind energy sources Massachusetts intends to utilize to meet its target of procuring 5,600 MW of offshore wind by 2027. Construction for New England Wind 1, is expected to begin in 2025 and become operational by 2029. The second phase, New England Wind 2, is projected to deliver 1,080 MW of power and is currently undergoing state and regional permitting reviews in Massachusetts.