Mayflower contracts OWC for US offshore project engineering support

Mayflower Wind has signed a “framework agreement” with Norwegian consultancy OWC for provision of engineering support for its contracted 804MW project and potential future developments in a federal lease area off the southern coast of Massachusetts.

The scope of support will include electrical, power systems and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), according to OWC, which did not disclose financial terms of the agreement.

“Efficient power systems are key to harnessing and capitalizing fully the power developed from offshore wind. OWC helps developers optimise transmission costs and ensure the electrical system is technically feasible,” said Jeff Fodiak, US country manager at OWC. “This increases the return on investment from each kilowatt of electricity produced.”

Fodiak, who specialises in the electrical design, grid connection, and general engineering of offshore wind farms, will lead OWC’s team.

Mayflower – owned equally by Portuguese renewables developer EDPR and Shell New Energies – in December 2018 paid $135m to gain commercial development rights in the area located about 37 km (23 miles) south of Nantucket and 48 km south of Martha’s Vineyard.

Mayflower estimates the zone can support up to 1.6GW of offshore wind capacity, enough power for 680,000 New England homes.

Last year, the developer won the second competitive tender for offshore wind capacity staged by Massachusetts.

State officials in February said the price of power and renewable energy credits from the project, levelized over 20 years and in real 2019 dollars, came in at $58.47/MWh – lowest thus far for offshore wind in the US. Initial deliveries of energy could begin as early as 2025.

Mayflower expects to use radial lines (generator lead lines) to export power to Cape Cod where the existing grid will become increasingly constrained from potential future injections from projects in nearby lease areas.