BOSTON — Massachusetts’ bid to become the nation’s leader in offshore wind power is ramping up.
The state’s electric utilities — National Grid, Eversource and Unitil — are slated to release by June 30 their requirements for projects seeking to develop the state’s first ocean-based wind farm.
That sets in motion an ambitious effort to put Massachusetts ahead of states such as New York, New Jersey and Maryland also seeking to establish their presence in the nascent U.S. industry.
A state law passed last year to boost Massachusetts’ use of renewable energy outlines the process for developing offshore wind power.
The law calls for generating at least 1,600 megawatts of power, roughly enough electricity to power 750,000 homes annually, from offshore wind by 2027.
To accomplish this, the utilities are required to secure long-term contracts with wind farm developers in at least two phases: a bid request this June and another in 2019.
The law also calls for generating up to 1,200 additional megawatts from other clean energy sources, including hydropower, onshore wind power and solar power by 2027.
At least three companies have expressed interest in the bid: Rhode Island’s Deepwater Wind, Denmark’s DONG Energy and Vineyard Wind of New Bedford, Mass., which is partly owned by Portland renewable energy developer Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark.
Those three have already taken the key step of securing federal leases to develop offshore wind farms miles of the coasts of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, where the state is focusing its offshore wind efforts.
The utilities — in concert with state agencies — have been developing their bid requirements for months.
