Bay State Wind Receives First Offshore Wind Site Assessment Plan Approval in the United States

July 19, 2017

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the plan for Bay State
Wind, a proposed utility-scale offshore wind farm south of Massachusetts

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued its first
approval of an offshore wind Site Assessment Plan (SAP) to Bay State
Wind, a utility-scale offshore wind project in Massachusetts located 15
nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean.

Bay State Wind is a joint venture between DONG Energy – the global
leader in offshore wind with 22 commercial-scale offshore wind projects
around the world – and Eversource – the premier transmission builder in
New England. The combined experience of both entities ensures the most
economically beneficial plan for offshore wind development in
Massachusetts.

“We are thrilled to be the first in the country to receive this approval
from BOEM, and to be a part of this huge step forward for the offshore
wind industry in the U.S.,” said Thomas Brostrøm, North America
president of DONG Energy. “Bay State Wind will produce reliable clean
energy for Massachusetts with scale that maximizes job creation, cost
effectiveness and economic benefits for Massachusetts and local
communities. We look forward to continued collaboration with BOEM as we
work to make Massachusetts and the U.S. a hub for offshore wind.”

“This is a significant milestone for the project and an important step
forward in helping Massachusetts meet its climate change goals,” said
Mike Ausere, vice president of Business Strategy at Eversource. “We’re
proud to partner with the global leader in offshore wind energy and
appreciate the support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in
getting this important industry off the ground in the United States.”

In August 2016, Massachusetts formally adopted a comprehensive energy
bill that includes a first-of-its-kind mandate that state utilities
purchase 1600 megawatts of offshore wind power. In June, Massachusetts
utilities took their first step toward fulfilling the mandate with a
request for proposals to build the state’s first project.

Bay State Wind will submit a proposal for the Massachusetts contracts,
which will be awarded in 2018. DONG Energy will use its expertise in the
offshore wind sector to continue to lead the development and
construction of the project’s offshore generation and transmission
assets, while Eversource will leverage its strong transmission expertise
in New England to develop and construct the onshore transmission asset.
The project could generate enough electricity to power one million
Massachusetts homes and create hundreds of jobs throughout the life of
the wind farm.

The BOEM approval paved the way for Bay State Wind’s next crucial step –
deployment of the FLiDAR WindSentinel system off the coast of Martha’s
Vineyard to measure wave and wind speeds in the project’s lease area.
The system is currently deployed for two years, and includes a camera to
broadcast images from the system as it collects data – viewable online
24 hours per day at: https://portal.axys-aps.com/platforms/P2012P/.

About DONG Energy

DONG Energy (NASDAQ OMX: DENERG) is one of Northern Europe’s leading
energy groups and is headquartered in Denmark. Around 6,200 ambitious
employees develop, construct and operate offshore wind farms, generate
heat and power from our power stations as well as supply and trade in
energy to wholesale, business and residential customers. In addition, we
produce oil and gas, and a process has been initiated to divest this
business unit. The continuing part of the Group has approx 5,800
employees and generated revenue in 2016 of DKK 61 billion (EUR 8.2
billion). Read more on www.dongenergy.com.
For further information, see www.dongenergy.com
and follow us on twitter (@DONGEnergyUS) and (@BayStateWind.)

About Eversource

Eversource (NYSE: ES) transmits and delivers electricity and natural
gas to more than 3.6 million electric and natural gas customers in
Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Recognized as the top U.S.
utility for its energy efficiency programs by the sustainability
advocacy organization Ceres, Eversource harnesses the commitment
of its approximately 8,000 employees across three states to build a
single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable
energy and superior customer service. For more information, please visit
our website (www.eversource.com)
and follow us on Twitter (@EversourceCorp)
and Facebook (facebook.com/EversourceEnergy).