Massachusetts offshore wind: More on Mayflower Wind

DECEMBER 18, 2018 — More details are emerging about Mayflower Wind Energy LLC, the provisional winner of block 0521 in last week’s offshore Massachusets wind auction with a bid of $135 million.

Mayflower is a 50:50 joint venture between EDPR Offshore North America LLC (EDPR) and Shell New Energies US LLC (Shell).

EDPR Offshore is a subsidiary of EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR), whose main shareholder is Energias de Portugal, S.A. and which is a major world player in solar and wind energy markets.

Shell’s New Energies Division, created in 2016, already has a significant presence in the U.S. solar energy market and is involved in six U.S. onshore wind projects. In addition, it is part of the consortium that is developing the Borssele windfarm off the Dutch coast

MASSACHUSETTS PROJECT

Once constructed, Mayflower’s just acquired Massachusetts lease area could accommodate a total generation capacity of approximately 1.6 gigawatts (GW), enough to power more than 680,000 average Massachusetts homes with clean electricity each year.

“Mayflower’s entry into US offshore wind is exciting and will leverage Shell and EDPR’s years of combined wind development and offshore experience,” said John Hartnett, Director, Mayflower. “We commend BOEM on a successful bid round and look forward to working with local groups and communities to realize this opportunity.”

Mayflower will begin working to complete a site assessment plan and initiate formal development efforts on the site, and subject to a positive final investment decision, could bring the wind farm into operation by the mid-2020s.