<p>In a major step for the only Island-based partnership in the race to develop offshore wind, Vineyard Wind won the right this week to negotiate a 20-year state contract to build an 800-megawatt wind farm south of Martha’s Vineyard.</p>
In a major step for the only Island-based partnership in the race to develop offshore wind, Vineyard Wind won the right this week to negotiate a 20-year state contract to build an 800-megawatt wind farm south of Martha’s Vineyard.
One of three bidders for the state-mandated energy contract, Vineyard Wind now moves on to the next step in a complicated, years-long process: negotiating a contract with the state Department of Public Utilities.
Three developers were in the running for the state energy contracts.
Three developers were in the running for the state energy contracts.
The bid award was announced Wednesday. State officials said the bid was the lowest of three, although the amount will not be disclosed until negotiations begin with the DPU.
“It was the best project,” Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matt Beaton said.
Vineyard Wind is a partnership that includes Avangrid Renewables and the Danish company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and Vineyard Power, the Island-based energy cooperative.
Three developers have been awarded leases to build utility-scale wind farms in federal waters about 12 nautical miles south of the Vineyard. All three were in the running for the state energy contracts, which are critical because they provide a way for wind farms to transmit electricity to consumers via the grid.
In a concurrent announcement Wednesday, state officials in Rhode Island said they would award a 400-megawatt project to Deepwater Wind, one of the three leaseholders and bidders on the Massachusetts contract.
The commonwealth contract is tied to a 2016 law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker requiring utility companies to buy 1,600 megawatts of power from alternative energy sources in the next decade. Secretary Beaton said the Vineyard Wind project wound up being ranked number one in a complicated evaluation process, partly because of its stated commitment to community benefits, including workforce training.
“A lot of folks on the Vineyard are well aware of the Vineyard Wind team creating their new home on the Vineyard, their commitment to wanting to make sure this first, largest-in-the-nation offshore wind development not only delivers in a cost effective way, but in a socially and environmentally responsible way . . . that really took it to the head of the crowd,” he said.
Judith Judson, Massachusetts Department of Energy commissioner, said Vineyard Wind appears best positioned to take advantage of federal tax credits, which are declining and expected to be phased out in the near future.
Closer to home there was cause for celebration among a small but passionate group of renewable energy advocates.
“We are ecstatic,” said Paul Pimentel, an Edgartown resident and board member for both Vineyard Power and Vineyard Wind. “We have been at this for over a decade and at times it’s been kind of a lonely fight,” he said.
“The way I see it, I feel like we’ve nudged the earth a little.”
As currently proposed, the Vineyard Wind project would generate enough electricity to power roughly half a million homes.
Mr. Pimentel said Vineyard Wind is also proposing an investment of some $10 million on the Island that includes workforce training at both the high school and college level and an operations and maintenance center tentatively planned at the Packer wharf on the Vineyard Haven waterfront.
If the wind farm development goes forward as planned, New Bedford, with its deepwater harbor, is expected to be the primary port for the industry.
“This is a pull ahead for the Vineyard,” Mr. Pimentel said. “With the contract structure in place and our relationship with the developer, we’re going to be able to buy some of the output and turn around and sell it retail to some of our [Vineyard Power] members which was always the plan.” He continued: “There are some things that still need to be put in place before that happens, but my goodness what a huge leap forward we took today.
“And there’s something even bigger going on here — the way electricity is produced, delivered, stored . . . is going through some rethinking in a national way . . . it’s a turning point.”
Secretary Beaton said the bids were evaluated by a team that included state utility companies Eversource and National Grid in what he described as “an incredibly robust process.”
He concluded: “This puts Martha’s Vineyard back in the spotlight for all the reasons we know — it is a place that is environmentally conscious . . . and now it has the potential to lead the way in creating clean energy for all of Massachusetts through offshore wind farms.”
Comments
Twelve miles... not enough.
BradTwelve miles... not enough.
You won't see it unless you
Albie Scott Santpoort Zuid, NL.You won't see it unless you're up on Gay Head in the morning and the turbines are backlit. And even then it won't be easy to make out the structures. Where I live in the Netherlands there's a 50 turbine windpark 9 miles off the beach that you really only see if it's extremely clear and at sunset when they're backlit. And even then they're pretty vague.
Upon construction I will be
BradUpon construction I will be sure to let you know how it adds to the skyline. Detrimental effects on birds and marine life are still widely understudied so I sure hope some of the energy savings from these go to helping them. Ongoing discussions have taken place over the health of the whale populations in recent years and it would be sad to introduce a new threat. These wind farms are loud both during and after construction for nearby humans and marine life.
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/9/3/034012
I just came from your area,
Tom West TisburyI just came from your area, and your description is completely accurate. The day has to be perfectly clear to see anything. At 12 miles only the tips will be visible if you have good eyesight.
Brad, I have to disagree.
Robert Skydell Granada, NicaraguaBrad, I have to disagree. Numerous, extensive studies have been done on the effects of both onshore and offshore wind installations to both avian and marine life. You may not have read them but I have and they are available online. And while you are at it you may also want to read up on the effects of acid rain caused by coal burning power plants on the ecosystem (including Nantucket Sound). As far as hearing them when operational you'll have to get in a boat and go twelve miles out to sea until you are within a few hundred yards of them!
Congratulations to Richard Andre and all the folks who worked tirelessly to bring this project forward.
I go to Aquinnah to get away
Martha MageeI go to Aquinnah to get away from it all and the most beautiful pure ocean vistas that fill my heart and soul with peace. A wind turbine is the last thing I want to see or God forbid hear. " You won't see it unless you're up on Gay Head in the morning"? Please.
In response to those leading
Dan B Cohen AquinnahIn response to those leading the chorus of boos, I note that it took 20 years of heated arguing to replace the blinking light on the Vineyard Haven - Edgartown Road. With the Island at risk of permanent flooding from climate change, it seems foolish to rally against a renewable energy project that will benefits Islanders.
Brad is correct.
EmilyBrad is correct.
No, No, No and NO.
Defiling the pristine view from Aquinnah is sacrilege. Not to mention the other harmful effects.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn..
Great news!congrats for all
Charlie and priscilla sinatra Edgartown.maGreat news!congrats for all the hard work.
112 miles is not enough. Let
Honeypie112 miles is not enough. Let's get rid of plastic bags though, that's more important. People will not be happy until they've destroyed everything good about this place.
Well, since climate change is
Carol formerly ChilmarkWell, since climate change is real and so is sea level rise, and 140 degree days are something no one's house is built to withstand - maybe you can, ya know, look out of another window.
Indeed, Honeypie. There is
Lorraine EdgartownIndeed, Honeypie. There is so much misinformation out there about the efficacy of "wind power" that it makes my head whirl. We are losing the flavor of the island and I shudder to think that it is being turned into a tourist destination. Biking on the island is no longer safe in the villages for running errands and many decades ago I rode my bike to stores and did small shopping and was perfectly safe. Now, one takes one's life in one's hands just to pick up the mail. Hence, more people are not biking, especially seniors. I used to thoroughly enjoy my morning run to the Edgartown Post Office with a stop at the market on the way back and used the saddle bags on my bike. Now, I take my automobile. How eco friendly is that?
Clean power. Local jobs.
Ebba Hierta West TisburyClean power. Local jobs. Commitment to education. Yes, yes and yes! Let's show the country what sustainability really means. Congratulations.
I'm pretty sure CA, and OR,
Carol formerly ChilmarkI'm pretty sure CA, and OR, and WA, and NY, and NJ (yes, even NJ has an aggressive renewable portfolio standard, or RPS), and all of the other states that are FAR ahead of Mass (and especially the Vineyard) in sustainability have a thing or three to teach to the Island. Every time I come back to visit family, I am embarrassed by how backward the Island is, environmentally speaking. It's really awful. Not just fighting sewers (have to keep our right to dump sewage in our formerly pristine ponds!), but also no solar on the roofs, no electric car chargers, plastic bags everywhere, fighting wind power, no composting, little recycling - man. Welcome, at last, to the 21st Century, MVY. We've been waiting here for you for some time.
Are we talking about the same
Paul ChilmarkAre we talking about the same island? There are many homes with roof-top solar; the reason you see fewer than in Southern California probably has a lot more to do with the fact that, ya know, it’s less sunny. There absolutely are electric car chargers. Have you been to Cronigs? They have a solar roof above their parking lot with electric car chargers built in, and I’ve also seen them around elsewhere (i.e. WT Town Hall). Virtually every town other than OB has banned single-use plastic bags. Is your post meant to be sarcastic?
Congrstulations. A major
Alex & Betty Boyle West TisburyCongrstulations. A major accomplishment.
This is great. I am so glad
Bill BridwellThis is great. I am so glad to see that the State is taking steps towards establishing green energy. It can't happen quickly enough. Congratulations to Vineyard Wind!
Well done after years and
Msa Kimball Oak BluffsWell done after years and years of hard work and a sometime difficult and cumbersome process. Congratulations!
What great news for all of us
Ann Rosenkranz West TisburyWhat great news for all of us! Your hard work, persistence and commitment paid off. This is an important step towards the huge process of transitioning away from fossil fuels and nuclear! Thank you and kudos!!
Exciting news if it means the
Laurie Howick Oak BluffsExciting news if it means the Vineyard truly has input to entire process and will see the financial and environmental benefits. I have 0 confidence in the Federal role in this ie tax incentives etc. And suspect it will be quite some time before we see windvanes on the horizon.
I was lured to the Vineyard's
Rick Vineyard HavenI was lured to the Vineyard's bright red sunsets, and beautiful naturally views. The history and culture of our island is so special. Its not an easy place to live financially...but we have our beauty and our community! We labor to show visitors a good time, then when the work is done, we breath the fresh salt air and look to the west, as did the Wampanoags, as did the founding missionaries, builders, whalers, scholars, artists, fishermen, farmers, naturalists, all the business people, the cooks, and the cleaners, we all have our sunsets, and the splender of its endless beauty. Are we destined to be the generation who sold the ocean in parcels, trenched a cable under the ocean surface and attach it to cement bases with turbines? Maybe so if it saves a buck, but will it be your buck it saves?...if it is the right way, is it the right place? This article has a nice photo in it, doesn't it?
Or are we the generation that
Jeff OBOr are we the generation that committed to renewable energy sources and weaned several generations from coal and petroleum? Pollution from coal and petroleum is far worse than your perceived visual pollution.
No coal or petroleum plants
Rick Vineyard HavenNo coal or petroleum plants proposed here Jeff.
Rick, are you not aware of
robert skydell granada, nicaraguaRick, are you not aware of the large power plant situated on the Cape Cod Canal or the one at nearby Brayton Point? I believe they both burn both coal and low-grade (i.e. dirty) oil. You may not see them from your house but their affects are felt nonetheless. High levels of cadmium and mercury that result from acid rain (also not visible from your kitchen window)are now found in tuna, swordfish and other species that make up an important part of our ecosystem and food chain.
Kudos to you! I hope the
Diana Conway Potomac MD & VH MAKudos to you! I hope the same defining spirit of environmental stewardship will drive the conversation about synthetic turf at MVHS. Even without the tire infill, synturf is hot, dauntingly toxic, expensive & notorious for injuries ---from concussions to ACL tears to metatarsal breaks. Two+ years ago the synturf industry trade group was forced to concede, before the MD legislature, that "yes there is lead in our product." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6I6C869I3Q Since then we've been in hearings and forums with them, citing that testimony. NO rebuttal.
Q: All that money & firepower & they're too busy to rebut?
A: They can't rebut the truth.
I hope MV sticks to its environmental guns on this issue too.
I’ve been involved in a lot
Marcus Mike West TisburyI’ve been involved in a lot of utility scale wind development around the country. This Winter drove from Kansas to Limon, CO at night on US 70. Along highway for 40 minutes on north side one of largest wind farms in the country. Could not believe how miserable it was at night to see all the red FAA lights blinking on the turbines. Would be miserable distraction to any vessels traversing this area at night. If you fish commercially or recreationally and steam south or return at night or work that area at night you are going to be in for a very rude awakening.
I’m very very pro wind...but on land and in the remote parts of the country is where it belongs.
Land based is much lower cost and 1/10th the rate for electricity. We just need political will to upgrade the transmission system to move the power to the load centers.
Sorry Richard...I’m still singing the same long. Applaud your efforts but don’t approve or believe in this project.
Mike
Your logic and argument doesn
Jim F. Vineyard HavenYour logic and argument doesn't make sense. You're complaining about lights on turbines on land and then you complain about lights on turbines in the ocean, then you suggest that the answer is turbines on land - which you may have forgot - will still have lights on them. All of this under the umbrella that you are pro wind and you're a big guy in the wind development industry. I'm not a doctor but it seems like you caught a classic case of "New England NIMBY".
I am pro wind. It belongs
Marcus Mike West TisburyI am pro wind. It belongs where it has a low impact and where it is cost effective. The price of energy from this project is going to be way too high.
As a developer I was surprised how significant the light impact at night was along I70 on the approach to Limon, CO from Kansas.
If they can minimize the light impact on this project that would be great.
Of course they can provide a few jobs...we are subsidizing the electricity price by over paying by a factor of 3-10X the price of wind development in other parts of the country.
Seriously? Red blinking
MaxSeriously? Red blinking lights? Miserable? This culture of complaining has gone comically off the rails. Let's just build a bunch more fuel-burning plants, that will solve the scourge of red blinking lights!
Thanks for pushing back
Jeff Oak BluffsThanks for pushing back against the whining minority. The silent majority is finally being less silent. This is a bold move forward. Red blinking lights and all. Maybe folks in Limon, KS or MVY can squint hard and see those blinkers 12 miles offshore.
Again you don’t make sense.
Jim F Vineyard HavenAgain you don’t make sense. You can’t say in one breath you’re pro wind then complain about the price in another? As a developer you should know transmission costs to connect offshore wind farms to the grid are baked into the price for the developer and they aren’t in land based wind. So you’re not really comparing apples to apples. The only thing it sounds like you’re developing are bad arguments. (Mike drop)
Outstanding!!!
Tad Crawford West TisburyOutstanding!!!
This is amazing news!
Brian Hughes Oak BluffsThis is amazing news! Vineyard Power To The People!
This company is a DANISH
charlie callahan so boston/edgartownThis company is a DANISH company, where does their money come from and where is it going to go. Why isn't the job going to an AMERICAN COMPANY. Someone better SHARPEN their pencils and do some research on this company.
Probably because most
deshandra brown EdgProbably because most American Companies (except those flushing taxpayer's subsidy dollars down the toilet like Solyndra) realize that the economics do not make sense. The only way to get a return on investment is to force the ratepayers *all of us* to open our wallets and pay at least 3 times what we currently pay for electricity. When that Cape wind pipedream was proposed years ago (at a lower construction cost) they admitted they need to have WHOLESALE electricity rates in the mid 20 cents per kw hour. At the time my rate was 1/3 of that. NO THANKS. IF you want to build it be my guest, but not on my nickel. I have no issue with 'common sense' wind turbines, built in places on the land that harness the wind, such as Otis Air Force base. There is LOTS of acreage there and its windy at every airport. Less construction cost, less upkeep, less visual impact, and NO marine impact to fisherman or navigation.
Did ya miss the part where
Paul ChilmarkDid ya miss the part where this is going to be the first utility scale offshore wind project in the US? Setting aside the fact that no one “hired” the Danish company—they’re the developer, meaning they acquired the land and proposed the project in the first place—it kinda makes sense that they won the contract because they actually know what they’re doing and have experience. Go figure.
Proud to be a Vineyard Power
Rex Jarrell West TisburyProud to be a Vineyard Power member. Grateful to to dedicated staff and board.
Off shore wind in New England
Sandra Pimentel EdgartownOff shore wind in New England is close to the best in the world. It's gold. It's been documented. The turbines on the ocean produces twice as much energy as that on land. The economics work in the end, but it takes vision. Offshore wind farms in Northern Europe are becoming the least expensive sources of electricity in countries like Britain and Germany.
The ocean is at risk, the air is at risk, we are at risk, and it costs a lot of money to respond to fires, storms, and rising waters. We need to do something now and this is it.
Congratulations to the
Tim Boland West TisburyCongratulations to the tireless team at Vineyard Power! Thank you for continuing to
move towards renewable energy and a economic plan that provides opportunities here on MV!
Finally we can have a plot of
Joe Gay HeadFinally we can have a plot of ocean that will be a fish sanctuary free from all the shipping and large trolling fleets from all over the eastern seaboard. Fish love structure underwater. Especially an area where giant nets can’t scrape the bottom and every fish swimming. We need this to stop burning oil and coal, leave that in the ground. This is the beginning of how the future will be, a step toward renewable is such a welcome sight from an islanders perspective. Thank you to all fighting the good fight.
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