Gov. Maura Healey along with Massachusetts labor and energy leaders celebrated the completion of the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, which concluded construction in March. She touted its benefits while shrugging off the wind development company’s recent financial disputes that have made headlines and threatened the project.
Offshore Wind
Posted inEnergy
Port cities try to weather shifting winds
Salem and New Bedford both received millions from the state to develop the sites of retired fossil fuel power plants into terminals that would serve as logistics and operations centers for the construction of offshore wind. But wind projects have long been struggling to get off the ground.
Posted inEnvironment
Tepper stands by Mass. climate goals, ramps up outreach on Canadian wind power
Tepper shared in an interview with CommonWealth Beacon that she took a previously-unreported trip up to Nova Scotia last month to meet with officials to discuss how Massachusetts can potentially tap into Canadian offshore wind, much in the way the state will soon have access to 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from Quebec.
Posted inEnergy
Massachusetts offered up $35M in offshore wind tax breaks. They’ve gone unclaimed for two straight years.
A state tax program meant to catalyze the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts hasn’t drawn any interest.
Posted inOpinion
Trump administration assault on offshore wind is bad for business and our economy
Offshore wind can deliver critical energy needs while supporting the region’s economic growth and job creation. These moves by the administration send a troubling signal to employers: after years of planning, layers of government oversight, and finalized permits that survived court scrutiny – suddenly, there is a government reversal.
Posted inEnergy
Could Canadian offshore wind help Mass. meet climate goals?
With federal roadblocks to clean energy, Massachusetts is eyeing Canadian offshore wind to meet climate goals and make the grid more affordable. But the switch could mean fewer local jobs and potential transmission infrastructure hurdles ahead.
Posted inEnergy
Healey again puts offshore wind on back burner
Bowing to opposition from President Trump, the Healey administration on Monday put its offshore wind plans on hold yet again and said it is committed to an “all-of-the-above approach to energy.”
Posted inOpinion
Offshore wind is alive and well. Maybe we should just keep quiet about that.
Is it possible that the predictions of the death of offshore wind power – one of our single best tools in the fight against climate change – were greatly exaggerated?
Posted inPolitics
Trump’s shadow looms as offshore wind price negotiation deadline missed
The latest delay was the second time since Trump was elected that the two sides have failed to meet a deadline and contract negotiations had to be extended.
Posted inEnergy
Offshore wind contracts put off again until after Trump takes office
The evaluation team negotiating contracts with those projects informed DPU in a letter Thursday that it will not meet Friday’s target for finishing contract talks, or the Dec. 18 target date for contract filings. The evaluation team includes the Department of Energy Resources, National Grid, Eversource and Unitil.
Posted inOpinion
A warning about Project Maple
The Canadian fossil fuel corporation erroneously claims New England, New Jersey, and New York need more gas for homes and buildings and to generate electricity.
Posted inEnergy
2 developers purchase 4 New England offshore wind leases
BOEM sells 2 lease areas east of Cape Cod to Avangrid
Posted inOpinion
Why are we so fixated on offshore wind?
Eco-Nuclear Solutions respectfully asks Massachusetts to take a break and carefully consider our path forward. The decisions we make today will have an enormous impact on our future and our children’s future.
Posted inEnergy
Vineyard Wind to remove already installed blades, strengthen others
The wind farm and its wind turbine supplier, GE Vernova, said the decision to remove some blades and strengthen others followed a review of 8,300 ultrasound images of each installed blade and physical blade inspections using “crawler drones.”
Posted inEnergy
Lamont, Healey take different approaches on offshore wind
“I think it’s high, but that’s what they’re negotiating,” Gov. Ned Lamont said, referring to Massachusetts. “I’m very concerned about the cost of electricity. I know what it means for the consumer. I’ve heard that loud and clear. That’s why I’m very cautious about entering into any contracts for high-priced, let’s say wind, in this case.”
Posted inEnergy
Healey sees ‘nice synergy’ in buying Millstone nuclear power
“Millstone is a good example,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “Millstone is a nuclear power plant in Connecticut. There’s an opportunity for Massachusetts to purchase energy from Millstone. There’s a nice synergy there.”
Posted inEnergy
Healey, Lamont eyeing possible nuclear/wind deal
Healey is signaling that she might agree to purchase power from the Millstone nuclear power plant in Connecticut if in return Connecticut buys a chunk of the output of the proposed Vineyard Wind 2 wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
Posted inEnergy
Are Healey and Lamont still in sync on offshore wind?
Lamont has given no explanation for his silence, but many assume he’s wary of announcing another offshore wind project at a time when electricity prices have spiked in his state.
Posted inEnergy
Big wind farm project in doubt
“We look forward to Connecticut’s forthcoming decision on the remainder of the procurement so that we can begin to deliver important economic and climate benefits to the region,” said Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton in a statement.
Posted inEnergy
Healey goes big on offshore wind – pretty much alone
Connecticut, where soaring electricity prices have triggered what some are calling rate rage, did not take part in what was billed as a three-state offshore wind procurement. A spokesman for Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont didn’t return phone calls, and Healey surprisingly indicated she didn’t know what Connecticut was doing.
Posted inEnergy
Headaches ahead for the region’s power grid
The first big change is expected to come in the 2030s, when peak demand for electricity from the power grid will shift to the winter months instead of the summer months. The change is expected to come about as businesses and homeowners begin using electricity to heat the buildings where they work and live.
Posted inOpinion
Offshore wind is answer to skyrocketing electricity demand
We are now facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to embrace an innovative, effective source of energy that would not only power millions of American homes and businesses, but spur economic growth, support thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and strengthen our grid and energy independence—all while addressing our climate imperative.
