Massachusetts Freezes Offshore Wind Dreams As Projects Crumble Into Uncertainty

Despite being awarded contracts for a whopping 2,678 MW of offshore wind power in 2024, Massachusetts’ ambitious clean energy plans remain stuck in bureaucratic limbo.

Massachusetts’ grand offshore wind ambitions remain beached on bureaucratic shoals while paperwork piles up faster than the turbines.

Nearly nine years after passing clean energy legislation, the state has precisely zero meaningful offshore wind electricity flowing to consumers. Go figure.

The contract execution deadline keeps getting kicked down the road like an empty soda can. First it was coming soon. Then later. Now it’s December 31, 2025—with actual state filings pushed to 2026.

Meanwhile, Vineyard Wind 2 has already bailed completely, taking its 800 MW and going home.

Only two players remain at the negotiating table: Avangrid with its New England Wind 1 project and SouthCoast Wind. Together they represent enough potential power for roughly 900,000 Massachusetts homes.

That’s a lot of toasters and electric cars that won’t be running on wind anytime soon.

The finger-pointing is aimed squarely at Washington. “Federal level activities” gets the blame—code for the Trump administration’s freeze on new offshore wind permits. The situation mirrors the EPA’s historic deregulation rampage affecting numerous environmental protections nationwide.

Legal questions about tax credits and tariffs aren’t helping either.

New Bedford’s economy hangs in the balance. The city was supposed to transform into an offshore wind hub with construction facilities, maintenance operations, and even a crane manufacturing plant.

Those jobs? On indefinite hold.

Environmental and legal challenges keep piling up too. Lawsuits from environmental groups, fishermen, and tribal representatives have created a legal tangle.

Some worry about drinking water contamination from expanded substations. Others want the EPA to revoke Clean Air Act permits.

The latest Round V procurement solicitation has been shoved to 2026. Officials claim they want to “allow industry stabilization” first.

Translation: let’s wait until the current mess gets sorted out.

For Massachusetts residents expecting clean energy progress, the waiting game continues. Nine years and counting since the legislation passed. The state’s original goal of 50% carbon reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 levels now appears increasingly difficult to achieve.

The turbines might spin someday—if the paperwork ever stops.

Without these offshore wind projects, Massachusetts will struggle to reach its net-zero emissions target by 2050, a cornerstone of the state’s climate policy.