Commonwealth Wind

The Healey administration signs a wind agreement with two other states, and Vineyard Wind inches closer to turbine No. 1.

Commonwealth parent company Avangrid sought to renegotiate the contracts last year, saying costs had risen too high. But the state refused.

The action by SouthCoast Wind follows Commonwealth Wind, which made the same decision late last year.

Unlike in the past, the draft RFP allows bidders to index their prices to inflation. Two offshore wind CEOs addressed the RFP at a business conference Tuesday at Mass Maritime.

Parent company Avangrid has filed papers asking the state to dismiss the approval proceedings for its offshore wind contracts with Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil. But the company plans to bid again next year.

The laying of cable is a slow process and requires two vessels: one to unroll miles of cable, and another to bury the cable below the seabed 5 to 8 feet.

Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells said negotiating a host-community agreement early in the permitting process would be better for the town.