GOV. CHARLIE BAKER indicated on Wednesday that he doesn’t want a high-stakes procurement process for offshore wind to collapse because of a dispute over the terms of the power purchase […]
Electricity
Posted inEnergy
Vineyard Wind starts laying undersea cable
VINEYARD WIND said on Tuesday that it has begun laying the undersea cable that will carry electricity from its yet-to-be built wind farm off of Martha’s Vineyard to landfall in […]
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
Wind farm raises alarms about its viability
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MAJOR OFFSHORE wind project in the Massachusetts pipeline “is no longer viable and would not be able to move forward” under the terms of contracts […]
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
State’s largest solar field opens in Ludlow
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A RENEWABLE ENERGY project in Ludlow will soon start generating enough power for more than 1,500 homes, boosters said as they cut the ribbon Monday on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Putin’s aggression is being felt in our electric bills
The announcement this week that Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other oil-producing countries — known as OPEC plus — are planning to cut output and inflate gas prices for drivers makes it clear […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate bill gained through omission
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER in August signed into law a comprehensive bill to address climate change. The bill includes provisions designed to reach a net zero carbon goal by 2050 by promoting […]
Posted inEnergy
Healey calls National Grid rate hike ‘devastating’
A correction has been added to this story. A SPOKESWOMAN for Attorney General Maura Healey, who represents ratepayers in proceedings before utility regulators, warned that National Grid’s electricity rate hike […]
Posted inEnergy
National Grid says electricity prices to skyrocket
NATIONAL GRID said the price of electricity it supplies to customers in Massachusetts this winter is going to skyrocket to record levels because the cost of natural gas, the primary […]
Posted inEnergy
Provincetown hooked up to large electricity battery
ONE OF THE LARGEST electric batteries in the nation is starting to provide backup power for Provincetown and will soon do the same for Truro and part of Wellfleet. The […]
Posted inEnergy
5 New England states seek info on transmission issues
FIVE OF THE SIX New England states have launched an effort to better coordinate the process of bringing ashore electricity produced by offshore wind farms and feeding the power into […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Maine court revives Mass.-financed hydroelectric power line
THE MAINE SUPREME Judicial Court on Tuesday breathed new life into a Massachusetts-financed power line designed to carry hydroelectricity from Canada to Lewiston and from there into the New England […]
Posted inEnergy
Grid operator, utilities call for energy reserve
THE OPERATOR of the New England power grid and six of the region’s major utilities are calling on state and federal policymakers to develop an “energy reserve” that can be […]
Posted inEnvironment
Boston seeks to join state pilot banning gas hookups in new construction
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu said on Tuesday that she wants the city to join a state pilot program allowing 10 municipalities to ban fossil fuel infrastructure in most new construction, […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate bill needed for environmental, equity reasons
THE CLEAN ENERGY legislation on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk opens the door for marginalized communities across the Commonwealth to share in the many benefits of the fight against climate change. […]
Posted inEnergy
Biden visits Somerset, an energy bellwether
REP. PATRICIA HADDAD of Somerset woke up a bit late on Tuesday, checked her phone, and saw she had 15 texts and six phone messages – all about President Biden […]
Posted inOpinion
Repurpose, don’t scrap, existing pipeline infrastructure
THE RACE to net zero emissions is on, and we have a lot of work to do to get there and not a lot of time to do it. Nowhere […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Utilities facing pushback on clean energy contract compensation
THE THREE MASSACHUSETTS utilities, accustomed to getting their way on Beacon Hill, are facing pushback on a provision in state law that allows them to collect from electricity ratepayers up […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
FERC grants delay on N.E. energy market reform
IN A DECISION posted at 10 p.m. Friday night, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the operator of the New England power grid two more years to come up with […]
Posted inEnergy
Pricing announced for latest offshore wind farms
BAKER ADMINISTRATION officials say the two latest offshore wind procurements are in compliance with the state’s price cap even though their electricity will probably end up costing more. Under the […]
Posted inUncategorized
NE power grid demand falls to its lowest level ever
DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY from the New England power grid fell to an all-time low on Sunday, a reflection of the weather and the region’s embrace of solar power. Sunday was […]
Posted inThe Download
Challenging the status quo on electricity, heating
Two top officials with the Conservation Law Foundation say the region’s power grid operator and the state’s utilities are in some ways part of the problem instead of the solution […]
Posted inPolitics
Healey climate plan calls for cabinet czar
DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL candidate Maura Healey began to flesh out her policy positions on Tuesday by unveiling a climate change plan that calls for the appointment of cabinet-level official to oversee […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Senate passes climate bill, adds offshore wind boost
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATORS TOOK a major step Thursday toward achieving the net-zero emissions target they already set for Massachusetts by approving a policy-heavy bill aimed at expanding the […]
Posted inThe Download
The air traffic controller of electricity
Gordon van Welie, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]