Wind Watch: Industrial Wind Energy News
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Windmills under scrutiny at county meeting
Matagorda County Commissioners will readdress an ordinance on a reinvestment zone for Peyton Creek Wind Farm at a later meeting after tabling the issue Monday. Representatives from the company E.ON Climate and Renewables, proposing the wind farm, said at a commissioners meeting two weeks ago that there wasn’t much controversy over their plans to build a 50-acre windmill farm between Bay City and Wadsworth. That certainly didn’t seem to be the case at Monday morning’s public hearing because it was . . . Complete story »
‘Cheap foreign workers being prioritised for offshore wind jobs’, warn MPs and trade unions
Lax immigration rules are preventing Hull seafarers and labourers from getting jobs in the offshore wind industry, MPs and trade unions have warned. The world’s largest wind farm, Hornsea, is currently being built off the Humber coast – but critics say British seafarers and labourers are not feeling the benefit of the predicted jobs boom. The renewable energy industry successfully lobbied the Home Office in April 2017 to introduce an immigration waiver for those working on the construction of the . . . Complete story »
Commissioners to hear plan on wind turbines
It could be the most crowded Work Session in quite some time for the Branch County Board of Commissioners Thursday. Representatives from DTE Energy will be making a presentation on their plan for possible location of wind turbines in the county, and a group opposing them plans to be out in full force. DTE Energy site manager Jeff Haines told commissioners last month that the company is in the early stages of developing a wind turbine project in Union, Sherwood, . . . Complete story »
East Hampton Town board majority supports wind farm over objections of Lys, Bragman
Two East Hampton Town councilmen said on Tuesday that they will vote to deny the application by Deepwater Wind to land the South Fork Wind Farm power cable in Wainscott if it comes up for a vote—and they implored the rest of the Town Board to put off a decision on the proposal until a more comprehensive review of the project has been completed. But the wind farm project still seems likely to win ultimate approval from the Town Board, . . . Complete story »
Barnstable, Vineyard Wind working on draft host agreement
Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells is meeting weekly with Vineyard Wind as the possible first large-scale offshore wind farm in U.S. waters seeks use of an electrical substation in Hyannis. Ells said he and Vineyard Wind officials are hammering out a draft host agreement, which contains a framework for the project and all issues relevant to establishing a 20-plus-year relationship. Keeping Barnstable’s drinking water supplies safe from dielectric fluid, which is used to cool hot electrical components, is at the . . . Complete story »
Wind farm looking to sprout in Mineral
MINERAL – Another wind farm could be coming to Bee County. This time it’s the Mineral area that is drawing the attention of builders. “Lincoln Clean Energy has the potential of putting a wind farm in north Bee County,” Commissioner Dennis DeWitt said during the commissioners court meeting Monday. “They are looking at leasing 20,000 acres.” This past Thursday, two representatives from the company met with locals there to answer questions. According to their information, those under lease for the . . . Complete story »
Controversial off-shore wind farm plans spark heated debate in Holt
Controversial plans for an off-shore wind farm sparked a public debate at a meeting hosted by a Norfolk MP. Danish energy giant Ørsted hopes to build the Hornsea Project Three wind farm 121km off the north Norfolk coast. The plans have proved controversial, particularly regarding the proposed cable route and its potential damage to the surrounding area from the laying of the cable, and the impact of an on-shore booster station in open countryside. North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb hosted . . . Complete story »
APS spends $11 million to keep 50% renewables measure off ballot
“Anchoring a policy in the state constitution is not good policymaking and it really cuts against the market and the operating of the system as it exists in Arizona,” said Greg Bernosky, a former APS regulatory executive who now works at Pinnacle West, the utility’s parent. “All of us understand that more and more clean technology is going to be part of of the future, but anchoring something on a ballot in the constitution is just not the right way to make policy.” Complete story »
County board approves wind farm permit
The planned Crowned Ridge electrical wind project, owned by NextEra Energy Resources, moved a step closer to realization Monday night when the Codington County Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a conditional use permit allowing for the construction of 164 wind towers in northern Codington County. The board’s approval came after a five-hour meeting where board members, which included Codington County Commission Chair Myron Johnson, heard public testimony from a few dozen citizens and energy representatives both for and against the . . . Complete story »
Permitting limbo threatens French deployment
No new projects in France can secure permits following a court ruling at the end of 2017, meaning the forthcoming auction is set to be undersubscribed. Up to 5GW of onshore wind power projects in France are under threat following a court decision in December 2017, which overturned the environmental permitting system. At least 3GW of projects seeking consent are frozen, and 2GW of authorised projects face “a high risk of cancellation by the administrative courts,” French wind energy association . . . Complete story »
