NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Massachusetts and Rhode

Island are moving ahead with three offshore wind projects

totaling 2.9 gigawatts (GW), or enough electricity to power

about 1.6 million homes, government officials announced on

Friday.

The project selections, following a joint solicitation in

March for wind farms to be built off of New England's shores,

move Massachusetts and Rhode Island closer to state renewable

energy goals aimed at combating the effects of climate change.

"We are taking an important step towards energy

independence, cleaner air and transforming our economy,"

Governor Maura Healey said in a statement.

The U.S. offshore wind industry has stabilized in the second

half of 2024, after a disastrous pervious year that saw

developers cancel multiple project contracts and take $9.1

billion in write-offs and impairments on abandoned projects.

New England's newly selected offshore projects include

SouthCoast Wind, New England Wind 1 and Vineyard Wind 2.

Avangrid ( AGR ) is behind New England Wind 1, Southcoast is backed by a

joint venture between EDP Energias de Portugal and

Engie and Vineyard Wind 2 is being developed by

Vineyard Offshore, which is held by funds managed by Copenhagen

Infrastructure Partners.

The projects are expected to begin delivering power in

around the end of the decade.

Federal and state climate pledges have largely centered

around decarbonizing electrical grids by replacing fossil-fired

power with renewable wind and solar. Massachusetts aims to slash

its power sector's carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and 100% by

2050. The much smaller Rhode Island has set a goal to use all

renewables by 2033.