Through this Request for Proposals, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (“MassCEC”), in collaboration with Vineyard Wind 1 LLC (“Vineyard Wind”), is seeking to competitively select and fund one (1) qualified applicant or applicant team (“Applicant”) to provide a real-time passive acoustic monitoring (“PAM”) and data transmission system with remote alert capabilities (the “PAM System”) that can be deployed in advance of transiting vessels during the construction of the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project (the “Vineyard Wind 1 Project”) to monitor for North Atlantic right whales (“NARWs”).
Donor Name: Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/21/2022
Size of the Grant: $10,000,000
Details:
Through this joint initiative, MassCEC and Vineyard Wind seek to advance and demonstrate the technology readiness level of real-time PAM technologies as a mitigation tool for vessel strike avoidance and thereby provide better protections for NARWs in the New England region. A secondary objective is to acoustically record and localize NARW and other baleen whale vocalizations to enhance the general understanding of the species distribution and abundance. The initiative includes two phases:
- In Phase 1, the selected Applicant will procure and/or assemble necessary components to constitute a fully functional PAM System and will conduct an ocean validation of the functionality and performance of the PAM System. This activity will be funded and performed under a grant agreement between MassCEC and the selected Applicant.
- In Phase 2, the selected Applicant will utilize the PAM System to provide real-time whale detection services to Vineyard Wind for vessels transiting from New Bedford, MA to the Vineyard Wind 1 Project area during the period October 2023 through May 2024. These services will be funded under the MassCEC grant agreement but will be performed under a separate services agreement between the applicant and Vineyard Wind. MassCEC grant payments for Phase 2 activities will be contingent upon receipt of written notification from Vineyard Wind that the Applicant has performed its work to Vineyard Wind’s satisfaction.
As part of its selected bid in the first Massachusetts procurement for long-term energy contracts, Vineyard Wind committed to fund and otherwise support specific initiatives designed to maximize offshore wind industry development in Massachusetts and provide benefits to local Massachusetts communities. A central piece of these commitments was the establishment of a $15 million Accelerator Program, which includes:
- a $10,000,000 Industry Initiative to accelerate the development of the offshore wind supply chain, businesses, and infrastructure in the Commonwealth by integrating existing and new Massachusetts businesses into the supply chain, and expanding offshore wind industry infrastructure and supply chain;
- a $2,000,000 Workforce Initiative to support recruiting, mentoring, and training of Massachusetts residents for careers in the Commonwealth’s new offshore wind industry and to address key gaps and barriers in current offshore wind workforce development offerings in the Commonwealth; and
- a $3,000,000 Wind and Whales Initiative to develop and demonstrate innovative methods and technologies to enhance protections for marine mammals and support regional monitoring efforts as the Massachusetts and US offshore wind industry grows.
Eligibility Criteria
The Applicant may be a public or private academic or research institution, or a private organization, company or corporation. To be selected for an award under this RFP, the Applicant must apply for and successfully obtain a Qualification Certificate from Vineyard Wind. The qualification process involves demonstrating to the satisfaction of Vineyard Wind that the potential Applicant can meet legal, commercial, and technical specifications established by Vineyard Wind and can ultimately enter into a service agreement with Vineyard Wind to provide PAM System services. The qualification process includes entering into a non-disclosure agreement (“NDA”) with Vineyard Wind. This will provide the potential Applicant with access to technical and performance specifications as well as contractual documents, all of which are proprietary to Vineyard Wind.
For more information, visit MassCEC.
