Wind Power News: Massachusetts
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.
Wind turbine to sit idle before likely removal but project was never bonded
IPSWICH – After sustaining damage from a fire last fall, the town’s second wind turbine is set to sit idle for the foreseeable future. Or, it may be taken down by the operator, Town Manager Tony Marino told the select board this week. But the board also got unwelcome news when Marino told them the project was never bonded. This is a type of insurance developers take out to prevent municipalities paying for work associated with private projects. The bond is . . . Complete story »
Federal officials field concerns, hear support for offshore wind farm
HYANNIS – While there were many supporters in the room for Vineyard Wind and renewable energy in general, more than a few had pointed questions at a public hearing Wednesday on a draft environmental report on the project’s construction and operations plan. There are many issues in the draft impact statement prepared by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said George Maynard, of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, at the meeting inside the DoubleTree by Hilton on Route 28. . . . Complete story »
Amid federal spat, U.S. wind farm to seek financing
The offshore wind-power project that became the subject of a Twitter war between federal energy regulators is moving forward with a debt financing for an estimated $2.15 billion phase, despite being shut out of part of a power auction, according to people familiar with the situation. Vineyard Wind, a joint venture of Avangrid Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S, is looking to arrange financing by October, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. . . . Complete story »
A sweet deal
The $3.5 million owed by Falmouth to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) for the wind turbine debt will be a $3.5 million windfall for Massachusetts. The original $5 million loan was actually an ARRA [America Recovery and Reinvestment Act] grant. The MWRA was somehow selected to administer the grant to Falmouth for the wind turbine, and the MWRA turned it into a payback obligation should the blades not spin. Congress subsequently voted (refer Federal Register) to relieve any payback . . . Complete story »
Scituate wind turbine noise study postponed
SCITUATE – A study that will look into if noise created by the Scituate wind turbine is acceptable by state standards likely won’t start until late March, Al Bangert, the town’s special projects manager, said. Selectmen agreed a little over a year ago to commission a noise study, the town’s third, after years of complaints from residents living near the 262-foot turbine on the Driftway. An engineer was chosen last spring and the study was expected to get underway early this . . . Complete story »
In $225 million partnership, Eversource takes deep dive into offshore wind projects in Atlantic
Eversource is spending $225 million in a wind power partnership to move more quickly into offshore projects in New England, the utility announced Friday. The utility, which operates electric and gas systems in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is buying a 50 percent stake in Ørsted’s Revolution Wind and South Fork Wind Farm projects in the Atlantic Ocean and a 257-square-mile tract off Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “We think it’s the future in this region,” said Lee Olivier, executive vice . . . Complete story »
Falmouth wind turbines called ‘disaster’ on national stage
Republican Congressman Thomas M. McClintock of California took Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker Jr. to task regarding the Falmouth wind turbines at a hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, February 6. “The Wall Street Journal published a scathing editorial on the experience of Falmouth, Massachusetts, which spent $10 million on wind turbines, and it’s been a disaster,” Rep. McClintock said at the hearing. “That small town went deeply into debt to finance them. The townspeople couldn’t bear . . . Complete story »
Vineyard Wind, backed by Baker, plays power politics
A sharp-elbowed game of power politics surfaced publicly on Thursday as it became clear that Vineyard Wind, backed by Gov. Charlie Baker, had sought and failed to participate more fully in an electricity auction that would have made the wind farm’s backers a lot of money while also driving down the price of electricity in New England. The political gamesmanship arose in connection with an auction run by the regional power grid operator ISO-New England, which was seeking commitments from . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind project hits rough water in New England
America’s first major offshore wind project is caught in a crosswind. The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission declined this week to rule on a waiver that would have eased the wind developer’s entry into New England’s electricity market. The decision, or lack thereof, prompted an unusual round of public sniping among FERC commissioners on Twitter and highlights the simmering tensions in New England, where state climate ambitions are straining against the structure of the region’s wholesale electricity markets. Some environmentalists and . . . Complete story »
Charlie Baker defended wind power after a Republican congressman questioned him on Capitol Hill
Climate change may not have been mentioned during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, but Gov. Charlie Baker was in Washington, D.C., to talk about the subject Wednesday morning. In the first House hearing on climate change since 2009, the Massachusetts governor testified about what his state is doing to – and what the federal government could do to help – reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change. “In Massachusetts . . . Complete story »
