The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has confirmed that the fifth offshore wind solicitation under Section 83C of the Green Communities Act will not be launched before 2026.
The delay follows ongoing contract negotiations from the fourth solicitation (Round IV), issued in August 2023 by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) together with National Grid, Eversource Energy, and Unitil. In September 2024, DOER selected three winning bids: Avangrid Renewables’ New England Wind 1 (791 MW), SouthCoast Wind’s multi-state project (1,087 MW), and Vineyard Offshore’s Vineyard Wind 2 (800 MW). By June 2025, only Avangrid and SouthCoast Wind remained in talks, with both parties now aiming to finalise contracts by the end of December 2025.
Federal policy changes have added to the uncertainty. These include a presidential order halting federal offshore wind permitting, subsequent legal challenges, questions over investment tax credit availability, and tariff issues. Most public comments received by DOER and the Attorney General’s Office advised postponing Round V until at least 2026 to allow the industry to stabilise and to complete the Round IV process.
DOER and its partners began early planning for Round V in April 2025, appointing an independent evaluator in February. However, they have stated that lessons from Round IV must first be incorporated into the new procurement framework.
The Department will continue to receive updates on progress towards the Round V request for proposals, which is now unlikely to be submitted for review before 2026.
