Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to accept power generated from wind farms off the Atlantic coast.
The bill authorizes Connecticut to purchase 2,000 megawatts of power, or 30% of the state’s electric load, from wind-generated sources by 2030. That makes offshore wind a viable industry in the state.
Representative Charles Ferrer, a Republican sponsor of the bipartisan bill, said it will stimulate economic development.
“This procurement will be able to provide job opportunities and economic development for the city of New London primarily. And also because we have two other deep ports in Connecticut – New Haven and Bridgeport – in the future it will provide some offshore wind opportunities to them.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for action.
Meanwhile, Governor Lamont recently announced a $93 million public-private partnership to upgrade port facilities in New London to handle the heavy lift capability needed for the offshore wind industry.
The plans make way for projects like Bay State Wind, a joint venture between Orsted and Eversource, who plan to build a wind farm about 60 miles off the coast in the Atlantic.
