It was supposed to be New England’s biggest and most innovative offshore wind initiative ever — a three-state solicitation by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island designed to get the best prices and efficiencies for a lot of new offshore wind that would be key in creating carbon-free energy to help curb climate change.
It was the first such effort in the U.S., and it would also reset the offshore wind process in the region, which has suffered setbacks in the last year or so due to balky national and international economies, inflation and more than a few geopolitical problems.
But when an announcement of the projects selected from the March solicitation finally came a few days after Labor Day, Connecticut was MIA. A brief statement from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection congratulated the other states and then said simply: “The evaluation of project bids remains underway in Connecticut and we will announce a final decision in our solicitation at a future date.”