Wind Power News: March 2016
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
State set to deny extending Cape Wind permits
A state board on Tuesday issued a tentative decision denying the extension of permits that would allow Cape Wind to build an electricity transmission line to connect its proposed offshore wind farm to land, further complicating the beleaguered project’s already grim prospects. Members of the Energy Facilities Siting Board will meet next week to finalize a decision on whether or not to renew nine state and local permits the board initially granted as a so-called “super permit” to the offshore . . . Complete story »
Share price plunges for operator of Maine wind farms amid bankruptcy concerns
The operator of several wind energy facilities in Maine could be headed for bankruptcy. But Sun Edison officials say the turbines will keep spinning, and providing taxes and other benefits to host communities. Since hitting a high of $32 per share last June, Sun Edison’s stock has been on a downward spiral, and has now dipped well below $1 a share following reports that it faces a substantial risk of bankruptcy while securities regulators investigate its business practices. But even . . . Complete story »
Atlantic Wind denied special use permit
RANDOLPH – After much consideration and research, the Randolph Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously denied a special use permit to Atlantic Wind LLC at this month’s meeting. Atlantic Wind LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables LLC, was seeking a permit to install a temporary 60-meter (196-foot) meteorological tower at 3018 Sample Hill Road. The tower was for the purpose of testing wind resource to determine if it would be feasible to build a permanent tower. Prior to a public . . . Complete story »
£45 million Saddle Hill windfarm plan thrown out
Angus planning councillors have unanimously thrown out an “industrial-scale” windfarm opponents claimed would have decimated the tourism market of Glen Isla. Developers Wind Prospect said the £45 million Saddle Hill scheme would have provided enough power for a fifth of the homes in Angus and delivered a £4 million community bounty over the next 25 years. But the area’s development standards committee meeting in Forfar backed the refusal recommendation of officials after hearing the 115-metre high turbines would be visible . . . Complete story »
Sucking wind in the fight for renewable energy
Gov. Cuomo wants New York to be getting 50 percent of its electricity from “renewables” by 2030. But if the ongoing battle over the proposed Lighthouse Wind project is any indication, Cuomo and his green allies are in for a long fight upstate. Three New York counties – Erie, Orleans and Niagara – as well as the towns of Yates and Somerset are all opposing the 200-megawatt Lighthouse project. If approved by state regulators, the project would install dozens of 500- to . . . Complete story »
Wyoming wind tax collections fall by 15 percent
LANDER, Wyo. – Wyoming wind revenues fell by 15 percent in 2015, an unwelcome drop at a time when the the state is already suffering the effects of a pronounced downturn in the oil, natural gas and coal sectors. The Cowboy State became the first in the nation to tax wind production when it passed a $1-per-megawatt-hour tax in 2010. Tax collections have bounced around ever since, rising from $2.6 million in 2012 – the first year the levy was imposed – to . . . Complete story »
American Bird Conservancy names Lighthouse Wind on list of 10 worst-sited existing and proposed commercial wind projects
SOMERSET – The American Bird Conservancy has released a list of 10 of the worst-sited existing and proposed commercial wind energy projects from the perspective of bird conservation. And the proposed Lighthouse Wind project is included. The nationwide survey by the ABC listed the vast numbers of migratory songbirds and raptors which rely on this area, as well as the proximity to the breeding habitat for declining grassland birds for why the Lighthouse Wind project is on the list. “(United States . . . Complete story »
Meeting for turbine project is Wednesday
BAD AXE – DTE Energy is set to give its first public glimpse into a new wind energy project that could be the biggest in the county in recent years. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Huron County Expo Center. County planners set the venue anticipating a large crowd. A project planning area covers more than 39,000 acres and 61 square miles across four townships: 22,080 in Lincoln and 5,760 each in Sigel, Dwight and Bloomfield. . . . Complete story »
TransCanada looks to sell Maine wind farm
WEST LEBANON, N.H. – TransCanada is looking to sell its New England power generation business, including its wind farm in western Maine and hydroelectric dams on the Connecticut River, as part of its effort to finance its $10 billion acquisition of Houston-based Columbia Pipeline Group. TransCanada bought 13 hydroelectric dams on the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers from USGen New England in 2005. The Valley News reported the Wilder, Bellows Falls and Vernon, Vermont, dams are among the assets TransCanada plans to . . . Complete story »
More wind farms planned for Lincoln and Lyon counties
MARSHALL – Expect to see more wind turbines on the horizon in Lincoln and Lyon counties in the coming years. Two proposed wind farms are in the initial stages of the Public Utilities Commission’s permitting process that would generate a combined 400 megawatts of power and cover a footprint of more than 60,000 acres. Geronimo Energy and EDF Renewable Energy (formerly enXco) are the companies behind the proposed wind projects. Geronimo’s Blazing Star Wind Farm will cover 30,000 acres in . . . Complete story »
