cape wind

cape wind

WALTHAM, Mass., Apr 28, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Statement from Tom King, president, National Grid, on today's historic decision by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Salazar on the Cape Wind project and the status of National Grid's negotiations with Cape Wind on a power purchase agreement:

We congratulate Cape Wind on the approval of its project.

Secretary Salazar's decision marks an historic step forward for energy policy in the United States, our region and the state of Massachusetts. State and federal renewable goals can only be met with an open-minded attitude to energy alternatives. This bold step by the Obama administration sends a signal that the United States is serious about securing its energy future and is willing to take action to make that happen. We also applaud the vision of the Patrick administration in recognizing the critical importance of this project to the state, the northeast and the nation.

National Grid is a long-time advocate for the development of renewable energy sources as a means to mitigate climate change, increase domestic energy supplies, and benefit customers and communities by providing a cleaner, more secure energy future. That is why we have been working to negotiate a power purchase agreement with Cape Wind. Our negotiations are going very well and we are optimistic that we will have more to say about our progress in the near future.

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.




Eco-Scandal or Clerical Mistake?
Well, well. The cat's out of the bag: "The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound [...] filed a federal document last month reporting that its work is partially funded and shaped by an international energy conglomerate. [...] The disclosure represents the first documented financial connection between the group opposing the wind farm and Oxbow Corp., which mines and markets energy and commodities, including coal, natural gas, and petroleum."

Of course, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound immediately said that the filing of the document was "a mistake". What is the mistake, we wonder. Is it a mistake in the sense that the document contains factually incorrect information, or is it a mistake in the sense that it reveals facts that they would have rather kept hidden? Not too hard to estimate the probabilities on that one.


President Barack Obama visited an Iowa wind turbine manufacturing plant yesterday operated by the German company that is set to supply turbines for the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm.

The visit comes as the federal government is expected to decide on whether to approve the plan by Cape Wind Associates LLC to build a 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound.
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Salazar approves Cape wind farm

In the morning, the president greeted members of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which is tasked with finding ways to reduce the federal deficit. Afterward, Obama delivered remarks that underscored the importance of "forging bipartisan consensus" on ways to improve America's long-term fiscal health.

The president then flew to Iowa, where he toured the Siemens wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in Fort Madison before hosting a town hall meeting at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa.

Cape Wind announced last month that it plans to buy offshore wind turbines from Siemens and the wind turbine manufacturer would open an offshore wind office in Boston.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to make a decision today on whether to approve Cape Wind. Both Salazar and Obama have heralded wind power as a major component of the administration's energy policy.

"I think it's great that the president is visiting a Siemens plant," said Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers.

Rodgers said there is no link between Obama's visit to the Siemens plant and Salazar's impending decision on Cape Wind. "I don't think there's any connection whatsoever between that visit and the Interior Department's approaching decision," he said.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today approved the controversial, long-delayed Cape Wind project, which would construct wind turbines along Horseshoe Shoal on Nantucket Sound, with minor conditions to protect the historic quality of the Sound.

“This is the final decision of the United States of America,” Salazar said. “We have confidence in it and construction will start within a year.”

Without providing specific details, Salazar said project developers will be required to undergo more marine and archaeological reviews and take steps to reduce the turbines’ visibility from the shore. He also said the project would be reduced in size from 170 to 130 wind turbines - a “change” that surprised many because the size of the project had been reduced long ago. Salazar said the conditions are “stringent,” but the project’s nine-year review has been thorough.


“We are leading a clean-energy revolution that is shaping our future,” said Salazar, adding that he “heard from tens of thousands of people who are passionate about this issue, but at the same time our relationship with the natural world is alive and evolving.”

Salazar said Cape Wind, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, is “opening a new chapter” as the country moves itself off the dependence on foreign oil. He said there’s “huge potential for offshore wind in the Atlantic” and Cape Wind will be the first of many offshore wind farms.

Gov. Deval Patrick, a strong clean-energy proponent who favors the project, and a large contingent of state officials were at Salazar’s side for the announcement at the State House.

“Thank you for this day,” said Patrick. “America needs offshore wind power. It’s been a long time coming. We’re making wind power a reality on our Nantucket Sound.

“We are on our way and if we get wind energy right, the whole world will be our customer,” Patrick said.

Patrick and the governors of five other East Coast states recently sent Salazar a letter in favor of the project.

But Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) wasn’t at the State House and instead voiced his disapproval.

“I am strongly opposed to the administration’s misguided decision to move forward with Cape Wind. While I support the concept of wind power as an alternative source of energy, Nantucket Sound is a national treasure that should be protected from industrialization,” Brown said in a statement. “With unemployment hovering near 10 percent in Massachusetts, the Cape Wind project will jeopardize industries that are vital to the Cape’s economy, such as tourism and fishing, and will also impact aviation safety and the rights of the Native American tribes in the area. I am also skeptical about the cost-savings and job number predictions we have heard from proponents of the project.”

Salazar said the 468-megawatt project would create 1,000 construction jobs, presumably part-time jobs to construct the wind farm.

Neither Salazar nor Patrick were able to answer questions at today’s press conference about how much Cape Wind would cost or how high the taxpayer subsidies would be to fund the project.

Audra Parker, executive director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, which opposes Cape Wind, called Salazar’s approval “a purely political decision.”

“It’s a slap in the face to ratepayers,” said Parker, referring to the higher cost of energy from Cape Wind, which still has not been determined.

Parker said the project would be buried by lawsuits, adding that there were still several local and federal regulatory huridles for developers, despite what Salazar said.
(Reuters) - The first U.S. offshore wind farm, a giant project 5 miles/8 km off the Massachusetts coast, was approved on Wednesday after years of opposition involving everyone from local Indian tribes to the Kennedy family.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gave the green light for the 130-turbine, 420-megawatt Cape Wind project in Horseshoe Shoal, Nantucket Sound, in what supporters considered a huge step forward for renewable energy in the United States.

"This project fits with the tradition of sustainable development in the area," Salazar said in Boston.

Although small in terms of its production -- the $1 billion facility would produce enough electricity to power about 400,000 houses -- its approval raises hopes that other offshore wind projects will follow.

Several projects that could power hundreds of thousands of customers have already been proposed for the East Coast and the Great Lakes.

The turbines, more than 400 feet high, will dot an area of about 24 square miles (62 square km), larger than Manhattan, and be visible low on the horizon from parts of Cape Cod.

German conglomerate Siemens AG will provide the turbines.

The decision to approve Cape Wind, subject to certain conditions designed to protect offshore waters from damage and reduce visibility, is expected to face legal challenges, but Salazar said he was confident the approval would stand.

Supporters have argued that wind farms represent a giant push for renewable energy efforts and reducing dependence on foreign oil, and fit well with the Obama administration's energy strategy.

"Greenpeace has been campaigning to get the Cape Wind project built for nearly a decade, and today's victory is worth celebrating. It long overdue," said Kert Davies, research director at the environmental group.

YEARS OF REVIEW

Cape Wind was subject to years of environmental review and political maneuvering, including adamant opposition from the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, whose six-acre (2.4 hectare) family compound in Hyannis Port overlooks Nantucket Sound.

A final ruling was near in 2009, but delayed further after two Wampanoag Indian tribes complained that the giant turbines would disturb spiritual sun greetings and possibly ancestral artifacts and burial grounds on the seabed.

Opponents have deemed the project an eyesore, and raised issues ranging from a detrimental effect on property values in the popular vacation area south of Boston, to possible damage to birds, whales, fishing, aviation, and historic sites.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a federal agency in charge of safeguarding historic landmarks, recommended this month that the project be rejected.

The governors of six eastern U.S. states shot back in a letter to Salazar, arguing that other offshore projects will likely be abandoned if the Cape Wind project was rejected.

Salazar cited that letter as part of his decision. "We believe there is huge potential for offshore wind along the Atlantic. We don't want to be second to anyone," he said.

U.S. wind generation increased by 27 percent last year, accounting for 2 percent of total electricity supplies, according to the Energy Department. Wind power supports about 85,000 American jobs.

"Renewable energy projects like these not only help fight climate change, they can create jobs and play a central role in our economic recovery," said Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Several countries have achieved much higher levels of wind power generation, often with large government subsidies, including Denmark, Spain and Portugal.



“American Bird Conservancy is disappointed in the Department of the Interior decision to approve the Cape Wind Project because the science collected for the project on bird collision threats is inadequate, and the site will reduce prime offshore sea-duck foraging habitat