The former 1,493-MW Brayton Point coal-fired power plant site in Massachusetts is being redeveloped into an offshore wind power support center that will include 400 MW of battery storage, the site owners and developers said Monday.
Commercial Development Company and transmission developer Anbaric have agreed to build the Anbaric Renewable Energy Center at the CDC's Brayton Point Commerce Center in Somerset, the companies said in a statement.
"The Renewable Energy Center represents Anbaric's broader vision for its Massachusetts OceanGrid project: high-capacity transmission infrastructure to maximize the potential of the region's offshore wind energy resource," Edward Krapels, Anbaric's CEO, said.
The main component of the Renewable Energy Center will be a 1200-MW high-voltage direct current converter to serve the emerging offshore wind industry. That portion of the project will require a roughly $250 million investment, the companies said.
"An HVDC substation is an important piece not only for Brayton Point Commerce Center, but also Massachusetts' status as a leader in offshore wind," Krapels said.
The 400 MW of battery storage will "bring an additional $400 million in investment," according to Anbaric.
The site is being prepared as the landing point for 1,200 MW of offshore wind power. Several offshore wind projects are in development in the area.
The Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board on May 9 approved petitions filed by Vineyard Wind for construction and operation of electric transmission facilities that will deliver 800 MW of offshore wind energy to the regional power grid, according to a statement.
The Vineyard Wind project will connect to the shore in Barnstable which is on Cape Cod.
A competitive auction for three federal offshore wind lease areas off the coast of Massachusetts closed in December with winning bids totaling $405 million from Equinor, Vineyard Wind and Mayflower Wind Energy, a Shell and EDP Renewables joint venture.
Massachusetts has set a goal to receive 3.2 GW of offshore wind by 2035.
