May 15 (Reuters) - U.S. offshore wind developer Vineyard Offshore (VO) and municipal light plant cooperative Energy New England (ENE) announced a partnership on Wednesday to explore clean energy options for Massachusetts if the state awards them contracts.
VO proposed the 1,200 megawatt (MW) Vineyard Wind 2 project in March in response to solicitations from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, as per the release.
If Massachusetts awards the project, the power from the 1,200 MW installation will be contracted under three investor-owned utilities - Eversource, National Grid and Until, which do not serve communities with municipal light plants.
"Under a letter of intent signed by the two entities, VO and ENE would explore options for purchase of generation in excess of the 1,200 MW reserved for the three large utilities, or additional power from a future project awarded by Massachusetts, by ENE or some of its affiliated municipal utilities," the release added.
As per the release up to 20 MW, which can power 10,000 homes, would be up available for these municipal utilities.
This collaboration comes after ENE and 14 affiliated municipal utilities submitted letters of support for Vineyard Wind 2, reflecting the growing interest in clean energy solutions at the local level. (Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Josie Kao)
