2-23 State House News Service

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State House News Service

CAPE WIND CHIEF CALLS STATE ENERGY

LEGISLATION "PROMISING"

FEB. 25, 2015

An effort is underway to create a coalition to hel ro!ote off"shore wind ower andener#y le#islation on Beacon Hill, the resident of a stalled wind far! develo!ent in Nantuc$et Sound said %ednesday.

&i! 'ordon, resident of (ae %ind, ointed to the )ro*ust) solar industry co!in#to#ether desite )very disarate) interests, sea$in# to law!a$ers, lo**yin#, and )tellin#

their story.)

A coalition is also needed to ensure a revenue strea! and to #et the wind industry off the

#round, he added.

+atthew +orrissey, a for!er econo!ic develo!ent and wind ener#y official for New

Bedford, is headin# u the effort and said the trade #rou, called ffshore %ind+assachusetts, is in the early sta#es of for!in# and will *e involved with Beacon Hill

le#islation.

)-hat has to haen for this industry to really ta$e off,) 'ordon said.

urin# an aearance on a anel %ednesday as art of a two"day conference on offshore

wind ower at the Fair!ont (oley Hotel, 'ordon called an ener#y *ill roosed *y /e.

atricia Haddad "So!erset )very ro!isin#.) 3nder the *ill, utilities would *e

re4uired to *uy 1,500 !e#awatts of co!etitively *id offshore wind ower and 1,200!e#awatts of co!etitively *id hydroower.

'ordon said *enefits of offshore wind to custo!ers would *eco!e aarent over ti!e.

)-hats a story that a lot of olitical leaders dont understand *ecause they see the first rice of offshore wind, and the first ro6ects are #oin# to *e the !ost e7ensive,) he said.

)&ust li$e the solar ro6ects were, *ut we have to educate olicy!a$ers into sayin# that

loo$, once we #et econo!ies of scale #oin#, once we start *uildin# a lot of these, the rices will co!e down 6ust li$e theyve co!e down in every other ener#y technolo#y. But


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we have to start so!ewhere.)

onents of (ae %ind have ar#ued the ro6ects location should *eco!e a national

!arine sanctuary rotected fro! develo!ent and that the wind far! would ruin views.

)(ae %inds ti!e has co!e and #one,) said Audra ar$er, resident and (E of theAlliance to rotect Nantuc$et Sound, addin# that alternatives to ocean develo!ent have

surfaced.

ar$er said the decision of two !a6or utilities in &anuary to ter!inate their ower

urchase a#ree!ents for (ae %ind, which threw the ro6ects future into 4uestion, left itwithout )custo!ers for their hi#h"riced ower.)

Sea$in# to reorters after the anel, 'ordon declined to #o into detail a*out the utilities

decision and ne7t stes.

As$ed *y a reorter if he was still wor$in# with the utilities, 'ordon said, )%ere

e7a!inin# our otions and 8 cant really #et into any !ore at this oint. 8! sorry, 8 6ust

cant do it.)

-he two utilities, Northeast 3tilities, which is now $nown as Eversource, and National

'rid announced earlier in Fe*ruary that to#ether with Sectra Ener#y they will *e art of an effort to increase the natural #as suly to New En#land.

'ordon said the utilities have )!y fate in their hands) and they recently announced

co!etin# ro6ects li$e the effort to *rin# in a lar#e #as suly and (anadian

hydroower. )%e need diversity in New En#land *ut we shouldnt allow trans!issioninvest!ents 9to: dictate what our #eneration solution is, articularly if we have this

enor!ous off"shore wind resource ri#ht off our coast,) 'ordon said.

'ordon was on the anel with /on 'erwatows$i, a for!er senior vice resident for 3.S.

re#ulation and ricin# at National 'rid, who was taed *y 'ov. (harlie Ba$er as

assistant secretary for ener#y.

'erwatows$i told the News Service that the state is not involved in disa#ree!ent

*etween the utilities and (ae %ind, callin# it a )contractin# disute.) )-heyve #ot toresolve it however theyre #oin# to resolve it,) he said after the anel.

E7andin# renewa*le ener#y and e7andin# #as caacity are *oth i!ortant efforts, he

added.

urin# the anel, 'erwatows$i said officials are see$in# to wor$ closely with other states

and ointed to a recent reort fro! (lean Ener#y 'rou and Navi#ant. %hile sayin# he

didnt a#ree with all of the co!!ents in the reort, he noted the e7ecutive su!!ary anned the )#o"it"alone sin#le state olicy aroach.) -he reort also said offshore wind

can *eco!e )cost"co!etitive and reach its true otential if the states in the northeast

re#ion act to#ether to hel create a !ar$et for technolo#y.)


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)8 thin$ its an interestin# o*servation, *ecause o*viously any lar#e scale ro6ects that you

do on the renewa*le side, if one state does try to ta$e it on and its a*ove !ar$et, it has a

si#nificant i!act on custo!ers,) 'erwatows$i said.

Ba$er has e7ressed interest in a re#ional aroach to ener#y olicy, and on %ednesday,

the ad!inistration announced that the Bay State is 6oinin# with (onnecticut and /hode8sland and electric distri*ution co!anies and issuin# a re4uest for roosals for new

clean ener#y resources. State a#encies will also start to e7a!ine oortunities for new

natural #as contracts.

-he re#ional aroach was hailed *y ener#y olicy #rous and sta$eholders. )%e see it asa real oortunity to have states coordinatin# to#ether to ta$e advanta#e of clean ener#y

resources,) said &anet 'ail Besser, vice resident of olicy and #overn!ent affairs at the

New En#land (lean Ener#y (ouncil.

A #rou du**ed the 'reen ;ine 8nfrastructure Alliance "" which includes National 'rid

and An*aric, a trans!ission ro6ect develoer "" said the !ove will hel )udate and!oderni


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lease areas off the +assachusetts coast, )where eole cant see the!,) +orrissey said.

)(ae %ind has heled the (o!!onwealth #et to this lace,) he said.


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