Tag Archive for: Massachusetts Legislature

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Environmental groups push for faster offshore wind buildout in Massachusetts

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From The Boston Globe

In the wake of a major regulatory decision on offshore wind, environmental groups are imploring the Baker administration to accelerate the state’s nearly 10-year timeline to establish a pioneering clean energy industry in Massachusetts.

One of those groups, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, went so far as to accuse Governor Charlie Baker’s regulators of participating in an “unholy alliance” with utility companies to slow down the construction of offshore wind farms and diminish the state’s ability to lure clean energy companies.

The charge was strongly rebutted by the governor’s office and the utilities, both of which defended the process by which Massachusetts will establish its offshore wind projects — the first competitive solicitation of its kind in the country.

A 2016 energy law, signed by Baker, allowed the state’s three utilities — National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil — to participate in drafting the requests for proposals, or RFPs, for the state’s fledgling offshore wind energy industry. The utilities can then bid on the construction projects from which they will purchase the wind energy.

Read more here

Offshore wind farms to go up 3 months early

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From SouthCoastToday.com

NEW BEDFORD — Massachusetts’ first offshore wind contract should be finalized in July of 2018, three months earlier than originally planned.

Three electricity companies issued their final request for proposals Thursday in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. The RFP sets a shorter timeline and calls for proposals of 400 megawatts of energy generation. It also allows bidders to submit supplementary proposals of 200 to 800 megawatts.

The timeline is good news for developers, because it lets them start work during the 2018 construction season.

“We were pushing for that,” said Erich Stephens, chief executive officer of Vineyard Wind, one of three potential bidders. “We really want to get to work as soon as we can.”

Read more here…

Offshore wind holds promise for all of New England

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From The Day, New London, CT

Block Island, R.I. — As the gentle sea breeze kept the blades steadily spinning, a boatload of labor and environmental advocates sidled up to the huge steel machines they said represent the future for economic growth, climate change mitigation and wildlife protection all at once.

“We feel like offshore wind is the most wildlife-friendly of all energy types in the U.S.,” said Miles Grant, spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation, which organized a boat tour of the Block Island Wind Farm on Tuesday.

Catherine Bowes, senior manager for climate and energy for the wildlife federation, said the five-turbine project, which is now supplying power to the island and sending surplus energy to the mainland, demonstrates that renewable energy projects can be built to benefit the environment and the economy at the same time. Her organization worked with wind farm builder Deepwater Wind over the eight-year development and permitting process so that the siting and construction would do the least harm to wildlife.

The transition from pollution-emitting fossil fuel energy to renewable energy, she said, is spawning alliances between environmental and labor groups that will benefit all of New England. All six New England states will use the wind energy supplied to the regional grid and gain skilled jobs needed to create and maintain it. More than 300 local unionized workers were employed in the construction, according to Scott Duhamel of the R.I. Building and Construction Trades Council.

Read rest of story here….

What it takes to be a hub port for offshore wind

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This document, developed by WindEurope’s Ports Platform, serves to start the discussion on ‘What does it take to be an offshore wind port?’, with messages to industry and policy makers alike on the challenges and opportunities that face existing and upcoming offshore wind ports over the coming years. It aims to be a first step to improving the two-way communication between ports and industry and demonstrates the value of ports towards cost reduction.

The offshore wind industry is a rapidly growing and maturing market. In an industry that grows rapidly in volume of projects and technology dimensions, ports play a unique role and are growing their businesses to support cost reduction and efficiency. Ports are continuously adapting their infrastructure to cater for ever larger components, bigger vessels and increased number of activities. The ability to provide adequate infrastructure, as well as superior services, is now key to the entire value chain of offshore wind.

Ports are becoming the focal point in local and regional development. They offer testing facilities, training centres and hosting warehouses, as well as offices and operation centres for manufacturers, developers and the supply chain. Their services are required over the entire life-cycle of assets, from installation to operation and maintenance (O&M) and decommissioning. Ports are the natural centre of industrial activity and development, gathering knowledge, labour and capital for the offshore wind sector.

Early involvement of ports in the planning phase of projects should take priority for the entire offshore wind industry. It would ensure that industry profits from the best value that ports can bring, making them strategic partners in delivering increased value to customers, governments and society in general.

Read report here…

Massachusetts offshore wind project bids due June 30

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From ABC News

Massachusetts’ bid to become the nation’s leader in offshore wind power is ramping up.

The state’s electric utilities — National Grid, Eversource and Unitil — are slated to release by June 30 their requirements for projects seeking to develop the state’s first ocean-based wind farm.

That sets in motion an ambitious effort to put Massachusetts ahead of states like New York, New Jersey and Maryland also seeking to establish their presence in the nascent U.S. industry. Here’s a primer on where things stand:

NEW ENERGY LAW

A state law passed last year to boost Massachusetts’ use of renewable energy outlines the process for developing offshore wind power.

The law calls for generating at least 1,600 megawatts of power, roughly enough electricity to power 750,000 homes annually, from offshore wind by 2027.

To accomplish this, the utilities are required to secure long-term contracts with wind farm developers in at least two phases: a bid request this June and another in 2019.

The law also calls for generating up to 1,200 additional megawatts from other clean energy sources, including hydropower, onshore wind power and solar power by 2027.

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KEY PLAYERS

At least three companies have expressed interest in the bid: Rhode Island’s Deepwater Wind, Denmark’s DONG Energy and Vineyard Wind of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Those three have already taken the key step of securing federal leases to develop offshore wind farms miles of the coasts of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, where the state is focusing its offshore wind efforts.

Each firm comes with its industry bonafides.

Deepwater Wind opened the nation’s first offshore wind farm off Block Island last year — a five-turbine project generating 30 MW.

DONG Energy has installed hundreds of turbines in waters off Europe and has partnered with Eversource on its Massachusetts venture.

And Vineyard Wind is partly owned by Portland, Oregon renewable energy developer Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark.

———

ROUGH DRAFT

The utilities — in concert with state agencies — have been developing their bid requirements for months.

The most recent draft calls for proposals generating between 400 to 800 megawatts of power and outlined key dates, including a December deadline for submitting applications and a May 2018 deadline for picking a winner or winners.

But the utilities have also sought input from offshore wind companies and other stakeholders, so it remains to be seen if those specifics are further tweaked.

SIZE MATTERS?

As the utilities have drafted their bid requirements, there’s been some debate about the right size for the wind farms.

DONG Energy argues that larger projects generating up to 800 megawatts provide “efficiencies of scale” that would lead to lower electricity costs for ratepayers.

Vineyard Wind believes the more practical approach is developing four projects of 400 megawatts each. And Deepwater Wind has argued for a range of projects of varying sizes.

“We think a more gradual approach makes the most sense,” said Jeffrey Grybowski, Deepwater Wind’s CEO. “You need to walk before you run.”

TOO SLOW?

Timing also has been a concern among some stakeholders.

The Conservation Law Foundation, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, has advocated for an accelerated timeline that would allow construction to start as soon as next summer and the wind farm to be operational by 2023.

Vineyard Wind CEO Erich Stephens warns that a prolonged selection process makes it harder for firms to maximize their benefit from federal investment tax credits that are gradually being phased out. That, he said, could ultimately impact costs passed to ratepayers.

“Even just a few months makes a huge difference,” Stephens said.

THE TRUMP EFFECT

Offshore wind developers seem united on at least one point: they’re not overly concerned about President Donald Trump’s policies on renewable energy just yet. Trump was a vocal critic of offshore wind technology as a candidate and businessman.

The companies note that states play a vital role in setting the nation’s energy priorities since they regulate utilities, and Massachusetts’ Republican Governor Charlie Baker has reaffirmed the state’s commitment to its clean energy goals despite the country’s withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement.

“There’s no pause for us,” said Thomas Brostrom, president of DONG Energy’s North American operations. “We’re remain really committed to the market here in Massachusetts and the U.S.”

Offshore wind moving too slowly, says Vineyard Wind CEO

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From CommonWealth

GOOD THINGS COME to those who wait” is an old phrase extolling the virtues of patience.  When it comes to bringing offshore wind energy to Massachusetts, it is advice we should ignore.  We shouldn’t wait a moment longer than we need to.

As of right now, Massachusetts is proposing to wait and bring offshore wind energy to market at a pace that is much slower than it needs to be.  That could mean the state’s consumers pay more than it has to for the power while Massachusetts is lapped by other states looking to be the Northeast hub of the industry.   For Massachusetts and offshore wind, the time is now.  Delay only means higher costs and lost opportunity.

Read more…

Morrissey, Haddad honored for work on behalf of offshore wind

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The selection of Deepwater Wind Vice President Matthew Morrissey and state Rep. Patricia Haddad, D-Somerset, as SouthCoast Man and Woman of the Year is recognition not only of the  duo’s great work on offshore wind, but also of the collaborative and consistent approach needed to build the new industry.

Morrissey and Haddad deserve great credit for their leadership and years worth of determination to persuade the Massachusetts Legislature, Gov. Charlie Baker, a swarm of environmental groups and regulators, and regional business interests that the state and region could be the launching point for a new industry that would help fight global warming and create vast economic opportunities.

But both Morrissey and Haddad would be the first to admit that it took a concerted effort from the entire legislative delegation, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and Economic Development Director Derek Santos, the Port of New Bedford, local colleges and universities, and others to win passage of a new state law requiring Massachusetts’ utilities to purchase 1,600 MW of offshore wind power.

And it will take similar commitment to make sure that the industry, which will start to build out over the next decade, provides the benefits that we all seek. The interests of commercial fishermen, organized labor, marine mammals, coastal communities and business and residential power users all will need to be protected.

In the meantime, we applaud The Standard-Times’ selection of Morrissey and Haddad, and we congratulate the pair for accomplishing something many people would have called impossible not long ago.

Government, private industry work closely to launch offshore wind

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AWEAElected leaders and government administrators get a lot of criticism for erecting obstacles as businesses look to expand and compete in new markets.

Not a lot of that kind of talk at the American Wind Energy Association’s fall conference in Rhode Island, which is happening today and tomorrow. Nearly 600 attendees have heard speaker after speaker discuss the close collaboration among the founders of the new offshore wind energy industry and the federal and state agency leaders and elected leaders in creating a new industry, which is ready to begin producing power at a small wind farm developed by Deepwater Wind off Block Island and which is looking to new markets along the East Coast.

(At right, Bristol Community College’s Anthony Ucci, associate vice president for academic affairs and a designer of the college’s 32-credit wind energy certificate program, was among the nearly 600 people at the AWEA conference’s first day).

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has been a leading environmental leader, and he cautioned that the new wind industry faces great competition from a fossil field industry that effectively receives a $200 billion subsidy each year and is fighting hard against renewable sources of energy that threaten that subsidy.

“That’s a pretty big headwind,” said Whitehouse said, urging a fair accounting of the actual cost of energy produced by fossil fuel.

And it was great to hear a New York State official,  John Rhodes, president of that state’s energy research and development authority, speak in support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announced intention to require that half of the Empire State’s power production come from renewable sources, including offshore wind, by 2030.

It was enough to make a citizen of Massachusetts, which in August enacted legislation requiring the state’s utilities to purchase 1,600MW of electricity from wind farms to be built off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, proud and optimistic about the future of power production in the state.

Projects this big require partnership between private industry and federal and state government. That is happening hear, thanks largely to good will and common purpose on all sides to find new, environmentally friendly sources of power.

 

Offshore wind will help propel resurgent New Bedford

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There’s a good interview with Mayor Jon Mitchell in CommonWealth magazine’s fall issue about the resurgence of New Bedford, and offshore wind was a big part of the conversation.

Given that many in Massachusetts equate offshore wind with the mothballed Cape Wind project, the focus by CommonWealth, an influential issue-centered publication of the public policy think tank MassINC, on offshore wind as part of the New Bedford turnaround story constitutes a recognition that the industry has become an important piece of the Massachusetts energy and economic development future.

Gov. Charlie Baker in August signed an energy bill into law that will require public utilities over the next decade to buy 1,600 MW of power — that’s about 10 percent of the state’s entire use — from offshore wind farms being built 15 to 25 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. And the three energy development firms that will bid to supply that power in a series of auctions that will award contracts based on lowest cost for power produced have agreed to use the $113 million New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to serve the new industry. Meanwhile, Bristol Community College’s vice president for workforce development, Paul Vigeant (who also serves as director of the New Bedford Wind Energy Center), will work with experts at UMass Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to assess workforce needs and assets for the new industry.

Mayor Mitchell started out like a lot of people, with the sense that the offshore wind industry was Cape Wind and nothing else. But like others, he has learned about offshore wind and recognizes its great potential for New England, for Massachusetts…and for New Bedford. Here’s what he said:

“Early on in my administration, I, like a lot of other people, just associated the offshore wind industry with Cape Wind. That was the thing that was in the news, and I didn’t know much about the growth of the industry in northern Europe. But as I started to dig into it, it made all the sense in the world to put eggs into that basket because of the geographic advantages we have. I distinctly remember reading a Department of Energy report that said 25 percent of the nation’s wind reserves lie in the area south of Martha’s Vineyard going down the Eastern Seaboard. We’re the closest industrial seaport. We’ve got the deep water harbor. Now we have the marine terminal that is perfect for the wind industry because of its load capacity. And we have this seafaring workforce that is second to none in America. Offshore wind is a way to diversify our industry mix on the waterfront.”

 

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