The January 3 report said that “the ISO and its consultants … have determined that it is unlikely that the project will achieve Commercial Operation” by June 1, 2015.

The company disagreed with the ISO New England assessment.

“We think it is very likely we’ll be online by June 2015, either in whole or in part,” said Cape Wind Vice President Dennis Duffy.

Atlantic City Project Aims For 2013 Commissioning

Fishermen’s Energy vice president and senior counsel Paul Gallagher said yesterday that his company’s Atlantic City offshore wind project is almost ready to begin construction, the Press of Atlantic City reported today.

Construction is waiting on a decision in March from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on the sale of the project’s electricity.

“We have arranged our financing, selected our turbines and lined up our contractors … We are, in what Obamaspeak refers to, as ‘shovel ready,’” Gallagher said. The decision in March “will allow us to put steel in the water next summer (2013), with turbines installed in August and power being generated by Labor Day 2013.”

Maryland Rallies For Offshore Wind

Over 100 protesters rallied at the Maryland statehouse this week to urge state lawmakers to support Gov. Martin O’Malley’s offshore wind plan, the Huffington Post reported.

The Sustainable Business Forum blog reported the comments from a press briefing held late last month at the National Press Club.

Delaware Online reported on Friday that the NRG Bluewater Wind project is still alive.

North American Windpower reported today that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is seeking comments on proposed lease-sale auction formats for offshore wind projects.

The publication also reported last Friday that Fishermen’s Energy recently installed a Lockheed Martin LIDAR wind measurement device to provide offshore wind data.

Welcome to the November edition, where we ask our experts which state will host the country’s first offshore wind turbines. And oh my, how the playing field has changed since we last checked in.

After holding the top spot for the first four rankings — and really, for the past decade — Massachusetts is no longer the favorite to build the first US offshore wind farm. Thanks to strong political backing, a project in state waters and an apparent absence of local opposition, New Jersey has taken the lead. Fishermen’s Energy has an outside chance to begin construction before the end of this calendar year.

Rhode Island also surged in the vote totals to take second place. Deepwater Wind cleared a huge hurdle when the state’s Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the company’s power purchase agreement with National Grid. Deepwater is now pushing forward to secure the remaining permits and plans to begin construction of its Block Island offshore wind farm in 2013 or 2014.

Cape Wind, meanwhile, suffered a potential setback last week when a federal court vacated its FAA “no hazard” ruling. That challenge, difficulty selling the project’s remaining power and the continued opposition of William Koch’s Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound caused Massachusetts to slide all the way to the third slot in the rankings.

1) New Jersey: “I don’t like to say we’re going to be first, but we have a good shot,’’ said Rhonda Jackson of Fishermen’s Energy, discussing the Atlantic City project.

2) Rhode Island: Deepwater Wind announced last month that they are buying Siemens’ 6 megawatt turbines for their Block Island project.

3) Massachusetts: Cape Wind continues to face well-funded opposition and must obtain another “no hazard” determination from the FAA. But don’t forget, this is the only project that has a signed federal lease.

4) Texas: The Lone Star State has built in advantages, but we’ve been saying that for two years now.

5) Maryland: In his opening address to AWEA’s annual offshore wind conference last month, Gov. Martin O’Malley promised to push his offshore wind plan.

The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees voted today to end an effort to develop an offshore wind project on the Great Lakes.

The NYPA announced that it would end its competitive solicitation process for the proposed wind farm without choosing a developer. The Trustees cited the higher than average cost of offshore wind electricity and the current economic climate as justification for the decision.

The project, however, was cast in doubt in May when NYPA board chairman Michael Townsend said that he doesn’t “think that project is very viable at this time, politically or economically.”

NYPA officials said that the organization is still interested in developing offshore wind projects.

“While deciding not to proceed with [the Great Lakes Offshore Wind project], the Power Authority will continue its commitment to developing and implementing wind and other clean alternative energy sources to produce emissions-free power for the benefit of New Yorkers today and for future generations,” said Gil Quiniones, the acting president and chief executive officer, NYPA. “The Power Authority’s participation in the evaluation of the LI-NYC Offshore Wind Project and in the regional efforts of such organizations as the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative shows NYPA’s dedication to affordable and environmentally-sound development of future offshore wind projects in New York State waters.”

NYPA staff reportedly reviewed five proposals and determined the project is technically feasible but prohibitively expensive.

Offshore Wind Wire: Deepwater experienced a recent legal victory when the Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the power purchase agreement with National Grid for the Block Island wind farm. When do you expect construction to begin on that project?

William Moore: The victory at the Rhode Island Supreme Court upholding our PPA for the Block Island Wind Farm was extremely good news for the project. We are now moving forward with our final permitting surveys so that we can submit our permit applications to the federal and state agencies in the first quarter of 2012. When construction begins depends on the permitting process and several other factors, but we are hopeful that we can begin construction in 2013 or 2014.

OWW: Deepwater has proposed a transmission system tied to planned offshore wind projects. Where will you interconnect and what benefit do you envision from this project?

Moore: We have proposed both in New England and in New York to combine utility-scale offshore wind with new regional transmission systems. We have identified markets where transmission not only helps to enable offshore wind, but where transmission provides additional benefits, such as increased system reliability.

OWW: Federal financial support for offshore wind development has become less reliable. Can Deepwater develop its projects without federal loan guarantees and tax incentives?

Moore: As an emerging industry, offshore wind requires the assistance of the federal government to help finance these large infrastructure projects. U.S. Senators Tom Carper of Delaware and Olympia Snowe of Maine are the lead sponsors of legislation that would extend the federal Investment Tax Credit for offshore wind projects. The industry is enthusiastically supporting that effort, because the continuation of tax incentives is a key to building the first wave of projects in the U.S.

OWW: What is the single most important federal policy or incentive to support the offshore wind industry?

Moore: Extension of the Investment Tax Credit is very important, as is an accelerated leasing and permitting regime for offshore sites.

The Long Island–New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative filed an offshore wind lease application today with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and announced that they would competitively seek a developer.

The collaborative — which consists of Consolidated Edison Company of New York, the Long Island Power Authority, and the New York Power Authority — announced in a press release that they were seeking the lease 13 miles south of New York City after studies “indicated that the project can be economically productive, environmentally responsible, and technically feasible.”

Officials from Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind said that they would pursue the contract.

“This is tremendously exciting news for New York and for the entire renewable energy industry,” said Deepwater Wind CEO William Moore. “We have invested considerable resources over the last several years in preparing our proposal for a utility-scale wind farm to serve New York City and Long Island, and we’re eager and ready to move forward.”

New York advocacy groups applauded the collaborative’s announcements.

“Talk about a win-win for New York’s economy and environment,” said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “For too long, New York has sent its energy dollars out of state and out of the country – and in return, we have gotten dirtier air and climate-altering emissions. The Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Project will help reverse that trend, by generating clean energy and creating new jobs close to home. We congratulate Governor Cuomo, the New York Power Authority, Long Island Power Authority, and Con Edison for this important step forward, and we look forward to working with them to completing a world-class wind-energy project.”

The developers are working with the state Board of Public Utilities, and have suggested opening the application process for the certificates in March 2012 with a decision scheduled for December of that year.

“It’s an aggressive schedule, but we think it is realistic,” said Erich Stephens, vice president of Offshore WindMW.

Governors Call For Wind Tax Credit, Faster Offshore Wind Development

In a letter to President Obama, the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition has called for the extension of wind development tax credits and for expedited development of offshore wind projects.

The coalition is a bi-partisan organization, and includes governors from six states that are actively developing offshore wind projects or legislation. The letter was sent in July, but was made public this month.

“The long term extension of the investment tax credit and the restoration of funding for the [Department of Energy] loan guarantee program are critical to the development of our offshore wind industry,” the governors wrote.



The cool air over the ocean leads to a difference in air pressure, which causes the cool air to blow towards the land when temperatures on land are high. This phenomena is most is most dramatic between six to twenty miles from the coast, according to meteorology professor Brian Colle.

“It’s more than just standing at the beach and having the wind blowing on your face; it’s more than a sea breeze,” says Colle.

Conditions recorded by the Cape Wind data tower show that during the days of highest electricity use the Cape Wind project would have been running at above 70 percent of its maximum capacity, well above its projected average operation of 48 percent capacity.

Transmission Backbone Developer Projects $30 Billion in Offshore Wind Economy Along East Coast

Developing 7,000 MW of offshore wind power along the east coast would likely bring $30 billion of private investment into the industry, according to Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) CEO Bob Mitchell.

Mitchell is currently touring New Jersey to espouse the benefits of AWC’s proposed offshore electric backbone transmission system, which could support and transmit up to 7000MW of offshore wind energy to the grid. The project, which has received backing from Google, would have a first leg that stretched 350 miles from Virginia to New Jersey, at a cost of roughly $5.5 billion.

According to the NJ Spotlight, Mitchell has encountered mixed reactions throughout his tour. However, Mitchell’s estimate of 35,000 construction and permanent job associated with the project, as well as the projected environmental benefits, were largely embraced during his appearances.

“Overall, I don’t think how anyone can consider this project won’t be good for the environment for years to come,” said Wyatt Earp, of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 400.

Cape Wind Project Comes to Film

“Cape Spin”, a feature-length documentary on the battle over the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, will be screened for the project’s developers, as well as critics and advocates, this evening on Martha’s Vineyard.

According to the filmmakers, the documentary captures an objective look at the Cape Wind saga, up until this point, without picking sides. The finished product clocks in at a neat 84 minutes, despite being the result of over 550 hours of raw footage.

“I know both sides will object to certain aspects of it, because there are bits and pieces and segments here and there that show things that they would certainly prefer not being shown.” said producer/director Robbie Gemmel.

“Cape Spin” is expected to premiere at film festivals in late summer or early fall.

Winds are shifting over the Great Lakes, with offshore wind development in Ohio’s lake waters moving forward while projects in New York languish.

The United States Department of Energy has identified 742.5 gigawatts of potential developable capacity in the lakes. However, differences in state and local regulatory environments and in development structures may lead to uneven development of this potential.

In positive news for Great Lakes offshore wind, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has signed a lease option giving the Lake Erie Energy Development Co. development rights to part of Ohio’s lakebed holdings. Founded in 2009, LEEDCo is a private nonprofit economic development corporation which grew out of a local and state-level task force. LEEDCo’s current goals include building a 20 MW pilot project, then using the pilot project to develop a permitting process designed to scale up to 1000 MW of offshore wind by 2020. LEEDCO distinguishes its project through both extensive engagement with the local communities – whose manufacturing base has been hit hard by the economic downturn – and by a relatively modest initial project size of 5 to 7 turbines.

At the same time, things are not going as smoothly for offshore wind development in New York’s Lake Ontario waters. A shakeup at the New York Power Authority may spell trouble for the NYPA’s Great Lakes Offshore Wind (GLOW) program. This Tuesday, NYPA president and CEO Richard Kessel gave the Authority’s board notice of his resignation.

Within NYPA, Kessel championed the prospects of developing New York’s Great Lakes offshore wind resource. Unveiled on Earth Day 2009, NYPA’s GLOW Project featured a competitive process to award power purchase agreements to prospective developers of offshore wind projects in New York’s lake waters. Things looked rosy at first: five developers responded to NYPA’s request for proposals by the summer of 2010; NYPA appeared to be reviewing the proposals, with a winner to be announced no later than January 2011.

This year brought a shift in the winds for the NYPA GLOW project. First the developer selection date slipped to late March, then it slipped to “second quarter”. In May, the chairman of NYPA’s board publicly questioned the viability of the GLOW program. NYPA has been relatively secretive about the status of GLOW over the past year – drawing public criticism and scrutiny as recently as this week – so it is hard for outsiders to gauge the full import of Kessel’s resignation on NYPA’s offshore wind program. Nevertheless, it is clear that Kessel’s departure comes as another blow to the GLOW program. This reading is consistent with suspicions that the NYPA board will announce that none of the proposals under review meet economic criteria in terms of the return on NYPA’s investment of publicly controlled dollars.

Meanwhile, proposed federal legislation would give a boost to all U.S. offshore wind projects, whether in Great Lakes waters or our oceans. S. 1397, the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act, would extend an existing federal tax incentive for developing new renewable projects. The U.S. tax code allows developers to offset their federal income tax liabilities through an investment tax credit (ITC) equal to 30% of the eligible costs of developing a renewable energy project. This tax credit, like other federal energy tax incentives, tends to receive Congressional authorization for several years, only to be renewed in the face of impending expiration.

Current law requires developers of wind projects to place their projects in service by the end of 2012 in order to qualify for the ITC. Between the novel nature of offshore wind technology, the challenges of the regulatory and permitting processes, and the multi-year nature of any project’s construction effort, it is not clear that any projects could meet the deadline to qualify for the ITC. S. 1397 would amend that incentive to allow offshore wind developers give years after receiving the ITC to complete project development. This would not only help conform the ITC to the needs of real offshore wind projects, but would offer developers greater certainty about the future availability of this incentive.

Todd J. Griset practices energy law with Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios in Maine. He also writes a blog on offshore wind, renewable energy and policy issues.

State energy officials awarded a $570,000 contract to the New England Aquarium to study large whales and sea turtles and a $330,000 contract to the College of Staten Island to study birds in the area, according to the report.

“These studies will assure the Commonwealth and the federal government that offshore wind sites that move forward in these waters are in the best locations and configurations with respect to marine wildlife species,” said MassCEC Executive Director Patrick Cloney.

New Jersey Energy Plan Open To Comment

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie opened public comment on his administration’s Energy Master Plan today, the Star-Ledger reported.

The plan, which was released in June, reduced support for some renewable energy programs but continued the state’s offshore wind push.