Cape Wind

Cape Wind is the nation's first proposed offshore wind farm - 130 turbines located in federal waters in Nantucket Sound.

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February 16, 2012 | 12:04 PM | By

Cape Wind sells more of its power, but still not all

After months of staunch resistance, it appears that NStar has been persuaded to buy power from Cape Wind after all. Cape Cod Times reports on yesterday’s announcement:

Under the deal, NStar will enter a 15-year contract to buy 27.5 percent of the power generated by 130 wind turbines that Cape Wind Associates LLC plans to build in Nantucket Sound. If Cape Wind is not in operation by 2016, NStar will buy an equal amount of energy from another new, renewable energy source, Patrick said.

National Grid has already agreed to be buy half of Cape Wind’s power for 18.7 cents per kilowatt-hour.

While the exact details of the deal between Cape Wind and NStar have yet to be ironed out, it is expected to be almost identical to the pact with National Grid.

The deal was negotiated as part of the merger – now conditionally accepted by Massachusetts officials – between NStar and Northeast Utilities. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind, wind energy
January 13, 2012 | 10:18 AM | By

Cape Wind unlikely to be spinning in 2015

The organization that oversees the New England electricity market has decided not to allow Cape Wind to participate in an electricity auction for 2015-2016, saying that it is “unlikely” the project will be up and running by then. Here’s more from Sean Corcoran’s Cape Wind Blog:

The ISO looked at a variety of criteria to determine if a generator could auction off power in the 2015-2016 period, Blomberg said, including whether it had all its necessary permits, whether it could be properly connected to the grid, and whether financing was in place, among other factors. The Cape Wind project was one of 37 potential electricity generators that were not accepted for the auction.

Cape Wind’s strongest opponent, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, says the decision confirms the infeasibility of the project. But Cape Wind spokesperson, Mark Rodgers, “respectfully disagreed,” saying once again that they plan to begin construction by late 2012 or early 2013.

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind, wind energy
August 11, 2011 | 11:39 AM | By

Cape Spin sneak preview called ‘wild’

My colleague Sean Corcoran attended last week’s sneak preview of the new Cape Wind film, Cape Spin, at Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival. The film viewing was followed by a panel discussion (Sean was part of the panel), and then some socializing at a local establishment. Sean says if he had to pick one word to describe the entire evening it would be “wild.” Here’s more from his Cape Wind Blog:

I wish you were there. I’ll give you my take on the movie in a moment because the most interesting part of the entire night came after the final credits. As we started the panel discussion, Audra Parker of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, stood to give her impressions.

Now Parker is heavily featured in the movie, along with Barbara Hill of Clean Power Now. Hill is the Cape Wind advocate and Parker is the opponent. Both gave the film’s producers a great amount of access to their lives and work. Parker, for example, traveled to Washington, DC, with the producers, and she even allowed cameras into her home to interview three of her children about the project.

But apparently, if Parker could, she would take that access right back and not have a thing to do with Cape Spin. Because after the film aired, Parker sounded off.

“I think it made a mockery of how important this issue is,” Parker said, saying she was “disappointed” with the producers choices of, among other things, music and stock film footage, and that the film was “misleading.”

“I spent four years letting you document this … You’ve done your best to sell a movie,” Parker said, arguing that the film was more about entertainment than information.

“It’s a full-out sellout,” she said.

Parker walked out after having her say, not hanging around for the rest of the panel discussion.

[UPDATED 8/19/11: Daniel Coffin, one of the producers of Cape Spin, emailed to say that Parker, in fact, stuck around for the entire discussion.]

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Straight talk, Cape Wind
August 1, 2011 | 10:25 AM | By

Cape Spin: New Cape Wind documentary

Cape Spin Trailer from Rebirth Productions on Vimeo.

Cape Spin is a new documentary about the Cape Wind project. Here’s the synopsis from the film-makers:

Ten years ago, Jim Gordon proposed building a major wind farm in the middle of Nantucket Sound, fabled playground for America’s rich and famous.  Dubbed “Cape Wind,” with 130 turbines standing 440 feet tall, Gordon billed the project as a clean, green power plant that should be welcomed by all.  To his chagrin, Cape Wind became his personal odyssey and one of the decade’s most confounding political battles, cutting across party lines and making strange bedfellows.

Green energy champions like the Kennedys allied with fossil fuel magnates like Bill Koch, Alaskan congressmen, everyday joes, and a well-funded Alliance of professional conservationists to oppose the project.  Meanwhile, Greenpeace, a local grassroots group, labor unions and national environmental groups led a counter attack, endorsing what would be the first offshore wind farm in the nation.

Embedded behind the battle-lines with both sides, Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle takes an entertaining and thoughtful look at this 21st century clash of titans. America’s energy future hangs in the balance.

The first screening will take place at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs as part of the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival.

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind
July 22, 2011 | 10:13 AM | By

Why the media frenzy over RFK Jr. and Cape Wind?

Cape Wind

Computer simulation of the view of Cape Wind from Craigville, MA. Some have argued that RFK Jr. opposed the project because of visual impacts, but his latest op-ed makes an economic argument.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal made headlines this week everywhere from the Boston Herald to Cape Cod Times to WGBH (sorry, no link – it was on-air only). In a reversal of the usual situation, there was actually less chatter in the blogosphere.

But my colleague Sean Corcoran – who has reported on the Cape Wind saga for nearly eight years – says he doesn’t see what the big deal is. In his weekly Cape Wind Blog post yesterday, he recapped RFK Jr.’s long history of opposition to Cape Wind.

In the early and mid- 2000s, Kennedy was the loudest opposing voice — even louder than his uncle Ted Kennedy, who publicly stayed mostly quiet about the plan to install 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound until he finally was pressured into addressing the issue on the floor of the Senate in May 2006.

One of my favorite Robert Kennedy moments came in 2005 when he stood near Hyannis Harbor and got into a shouting match with representatives from Greenpeace, which supports Cape Wind.

“There’s lots of good places to put wind power,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been a strong supporter of wind power for many years on the high seas and the territorial seas. But you wouldn’t put a wind farm in Yosemite, you shouldn’t put one in Yellowstone, you shouldn’t put one on the Boston Commons and you shouldn’t put one in Nantucket Sound. This is the worst trap environmentalists can fall into.”

It was environmentalist versus environmentalist. And Kennedy didn’t care if he looked like a NIMBY, an obstructionist or a hypocrite. There are some places, he said, where wind farms should not go.

Bottom line: RFK Jr. has always vehemently opposed Cape Wind. It’s been a while since he made such a prominent public declaration, but that he should do so is less than surprising.

The key difference is that the argument this time is economic, not philosophical or environmental. And, as Michael Conathan pointed out, what is perhaps surprising is that Kennedy’s opposition to Cape Wind is so strong that he says he would prefer Canadian hydroelectric power, which he has previously opposed.

FILED UNDER: Straight talk, Cape Wind
April 19, 2011 | 3:01 PM | By

Cape Wind garners construction approval

flickr/swisscan

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar traveled to Boston today to announce that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) has approved a Construction and Operations Plan for the Cape Wind Energy Project. It’s the latest in a string of federal green-lights for the project, which would be the nation’s first offshore wind farm.

“The Department has taken extraordinary steps to fully evaluate Cape Wind’s potential impacts on environmental and cultural resources of Nantucket Sound,” said Secretary Salazar. “By signing the Construction and Operations Plan today, we are even closer towards ushering in our Nation’s first offshore wind energy facility while creating jobs.”

Construction could begin as soon as this fall. As approved, Cape Wind would consist of 130 3.6-megawatt wind turbines, each with a maximum blade height of 440 feet. The project would cover approximately 25 square miles in a patch of federal waters between Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Island, and would have the capacity to produce about 468 megawatts, or enough electricity for 200,000 homes.

“With today’s announcement by Secretary Salazar, we are one step closer to benefiting from the clean energy, green jobs and long-term economic benefits that will result from creating the nation’s first offshore wind farm,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “States up and down the East Coast are now looking to Massachusetts with envy as we launch this brand new American industry.”

But Cape Wind still lacks a buyer for half of the power it is expected to produce, and the project faces no less than eleven different lawsuits. The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, the primary opponent of Cape Wind, was quick to bring up both of those points in a statement decrying the new approval.

“Today’s announcement was nothing more than the same political posturing from the Obama and Patrick Administrations that we have seen for years, a blatant attempt to declare victory in a battle that is far from over,” said Audra Parker, president and CEO of the Alliance.

U.S. Representative Edward Markey has been outspoken on issues of climate change and clean energy. He issued a statement praising “Massachusetts’ innovation and vision” and federal initiatives to expedite offshore wind energy development.

“Instead of speeding up the permits for the offshore oil industry, the Interior Department should continue their path to quicken the development of wind energy off our nation’s shores, especially in the Atlantic.”

That message is a timely one, coming on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent Gulf oil spill. The worst oil spill in U.S. history, the incident forced a slow-down in offshore drilling and has brought increased scrutiny of the industry.

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind, wind energy
March 4, 2011 | 11:34 AM | By

Weekly Cape Wind update

It’s time again for Sean’s weekly update on all things Cape Wind:

The federal government has released a plan regarding how the Cape Wind project will be built and operated. The document, called a Construction and Operating Plan can be found here. But I warn you: It’s not light reading.

Opponents of the project say they were unaware the document had been released, and they object to the fact the 871-page plan has only a two-week comment period. That means all comments must be in by March 9.

Opponents are requesting a longer comment period, saying it’s impossible to thoroughly review such a complex plan in such a short period of time.

You can read about opponents’ complaints here.

In other news…

Massachusetts is truly becoming a hotbed for offshore wind. I’ve written previously about the role New Bedford will plan in the installation of Cape Wind, and potentially other projects the federal government would like installed in a swath of ocean south of Martha’s Vineyard. Now a Virginia-based company that manufactures cables is opening a firm in Boston.

Global Marine Energy Inc.  has opened an office on Beacon Street. The company reportedly has been involved in providing underwater cables for offshore wind projects in Europe. Read more about that here.

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind, wind energy
February 24, 2011 | 10:38 PM | By

The latest on Cape Wind

An update on all things Cape Wind from my newsroom co-conspirator Sean Corcoran:

Construction could commence by the end of the year, but so far Cape Wind still does not have buyer for half of its anticipated power.

National Grid, one of the state’s two primary electricity distributors, already has signed a contract to buy half the power from Cape Wind. But if anyone was waiting for NStar to do the same, they’re out of luck.

For several months it has been clear that NStar is not interested in Cape Wind, and that was proven again this week when the utility released a list of wind projects it will purchase power from — and Cape Wind was not on it. Instead, NStar will get it’s wind-driven energy from projects in western Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

You can read about NStar’s wind preferences here.

In other news…

I bet you didn’t see this coming, but the two senators from Massachusetts are at odds.

After spending almost a decade refusing to give an opinion about Cape Wind, senior Senator John Kerry is now pushing for the project. Read about that here.

And just just about a year after taking office, junior senator Scott Brown is opposing Cape Wind, just as his predecessor, Edward Kennedy did. You can read more about Brown’s call for more review here.

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind, Scott Brown, wind energy
January 7, 2011 | 11:20 AM | By

Cape Wind receives federal construction permit

Cape Cod Times’ Patrick Cassidy says the construction permit issued to Cape Wind by the Army Corps of Engineers is a major milestone, but far from the end of the story:

The Corps permit, which was expected, marks a shift from a regulatory review of the project to legal battles that are expected to finally decide the wind farm’s fate. It also brings the project’s review full circle, Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers said.

“We’re on the cusp of completing the permitting process,” Rodgers said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue an air quality permit for Cape Wind in the near future. A draft of the EPA permit has already been issued.

…

The Corps’ approval was not unexpected and changes little, according to opponents of the project.

“It doesn’t change the growing opposition to Cape Wind because of location and cost to ratepayers,” said Audra Parker, president and CEO of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.

Ultimately, the project will be decided in court, Parker said, adding that there are 11 related lawsuits pending.

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, Cape Wind, wind energy
December 28, 2010 | 9:18 AM | By

Top stories of the year: #4 – offshore wind

flickr/Nick Treby

Offshore wind turbines in the U.K.

#4. Major developments in offshore wind energy development

2010 was an historic year for offshore wind power in the United States. On October 6th, after almost ten years of permitting reviews and amidst ongoing controversy, Cape Wind – a 130-turbine wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound – was granted the first federal lease for offshore wind power generation. Several weeks later, Massachusetts approved a power purchase agreement between Cape Wind and National Grid that covers half the electricity Cape Wind is expected to generate; Governor Deval Patrick’s administration has put pressure on NStar to buy the other half, but NStar has been staunchly opposed. Of course, the embattled project still faces legal challenges: The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound has multiple lawsuits pending, including a challenge to the National Grid deal, and a group of fishermen on Martha’s Vineyard are planning to sue federal officials, claiming that Cape Wind’s insurers would bar them from fishing – an historic and continued use – within the leased area. The extension of subsidies for renewable energy projects allows Cape Wind more time to deal with these issues without the threat of losing necessary financial aid, and Siemens may also help fund the project (not a purely philanthropic move; Siemens will supply the turbines). So the Cape Wind saga is far from over.

But it’s just the start of historic landmarks the industry hit this fall. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, 2010 in review, Cape Wind, wind energy