The event, “Offshore Wind in New England: Lessons Learned, the Way Forward,” will be moderated by former Massachusetts Energy and Environment Secretary Ian Bowles.

The panel will include representatives from offshore wind construction company EEW, development and financing organization Anbaric Holding, offshore wind investor D.E. Shaw Group and regional utility National Grid.

Neptune Wind Proposes New Jersey Project

Massachusetts-based developer Neptune Wind will propose a project near New Jersey, the company announced yesterday in a statement.

Neptune Wind has already proposed three projects near Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“This geographic expansion enables us to diversify our power markets and to take advantage of more aggressive policies around offshore wind development,” the statement read.

Aerial teams from the National Marine Fisheries Service spotted the whales, and a voluntary mariner speed reduction to 10 knots or less was put into effect, according to the report.

The Alliance — which has a long history of latching onto any available topic to criticize the planned wind farm — said that their major concern was the disturbance caused during construction. Cape Wind’s construction plan includes mitigation strategies if the whales are nearby during construction.

“Right whale sightings in Nantucket Sound are comparatively rare compared with neighboring water bodies,” said Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers. “There are protocols we’ll have to follow during construction to make sure there aren’t any marine mammals in close proximity, particularly for acoustics.”

Maryland Chamber of Commerce Opposes Offshore Wind Bill

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce has publicly opposed Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed legislation to support offshore wind development in the state, the Wilmington News-Journal reported Tuesday.

The bill was postponed for “study” and will be reintroduced in the legislature’s next session.

“This bill would be very costly to all customers and areas in Maryland. This is not the appropriate tool to address increased wind generation,” the Chamber wrote on its Web site.

National Grid Revises Block Island Wind Farm Cost Estimate

Utility National Grid — which has contracted to buy power from Deepwater Wind’s Block Island wind farm — last week revised its estimate for the above-market cost of the electricity, the Providence Business News reported.

In a filing to the state’s Public Utilities Commission, National Grid said the electricity would cost $409 million or $415 million more than market rates. The previous estimate was $390 million, but the company cautioned that these numbers are a “snapshot in time, and we would expect [that] a long-term forecast would fluctuate each time the forecast is performed over the course of six months to a year.”

Virginia Republicans Differ On Offshore Wind

Virginia Republican Senate candidate George Allen and Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell apparently differ on offshore wind development, the Washington Examiner reported yesterday.

Allen published an op-ed in which he disparaged renewable energy generation, while McDonnell has recently affirmed his support for offshore wind development in the state, according to the report.

“I’m disappointed in both state and federal officials,” Frank said, referring to a recently released request for interest in 3,000 square miles of federal water south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.  The congressman — along with Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney and Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown — sent a letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking for more time to comment on the RFI and for more consultation with fishermen.

“We were troubled to learn that many (of) our constituents were unaware of this proposal until the Department of Interior recently held a hearing in New Bedford on Feb. 16 with the comment period ending only 12 days later on Feb. 28,” the letter read.  “We feel that amount of time is insufficient for affected stakeholders to analyze and submit comments on an energy development proposal that could have lasing impacts in the region.”

Massachusetts Utility Passes on Cape Wind Electricity

Massachusetts utility NStar agreed to buy electricity from three land-based wind power projects in order to satisfy renewable energy requirements but did not purchase any power from the planned Cape Wind offshore wind farm, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

Cape Wind has reached a deal to sell half of its power to National Grid, but has yet to find a buyer for the second half.  If it cannot find an eventual buyer, the developer might be forced to build a smaller project.

NStar declined to reveal the price it will pay for electricity from land-based wind projects although the utility is paying 10.5 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity from a similar project.  The three land based wind agreements are fixed-price and will not escalate over time.  National Grid agreed to pay Cape Wind 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour in the first year of operations, with a 3.5 percent annual escalation.

Maine Offshore Wind Webinar Draws Strong Interest

A online presentation held yesterday to discuss the technical, economic and environmental issues associated with developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine drew strong worldwide interest, the Bangor Daily News reported yesterday.

Between 250 and 300 people joined the Web cast, including developers from the United Kingdom, India and China, according Habib Dagher, the leader of the University of Maine’s efforts to accelerate floating offshore wind projects.

“It’s exceeded my expectations,” Dagher said. “There appears to be quite a bit of interest.”

In October, Maryland-based transmission developer Trans-Elect proposed the 350-mile project, which is known as the Atlantic Wind Connection.  The transmission backbone — designed to allow offshore wind projects to avoid their own cabling to land — would run from northern New Jersey to Norfolk, VA, and would be built about 15 to 20 miles offshore.

When the project was announced, the New York Times quoted FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff saying that the project “looks to me to be one of the most interesting transmission projects that I’ve ever seen walk through the door … It provides a gathering point for offshore wind for multiple projects up and down the coast.”

Scientists Say New Bird Data Will Influence Maine Offshore Wind Sites

Researchers at the BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine, said they have discovered significant offshore falcon and owl migration in areas that might be otherwise used for offshore wind farms, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network reported yesterday.

During a four-week study this fall, the Institute set up several island and coastal-based research stations and documented more than 800 migratory raptors and 253 migratory owls.

“That will be very useful in windpower siting decisions because basically we’re trying to collect information that would be helpful for lawmakers, policymakers, the general public to decide where wind farms should be placed and have some pre-construction information,” said Chris DeSorbo, a wildlife research biologist at the Institute.

Rhode Island Manufacturers Oppose Offshore Wind Contract

The Rhode Island Manufacturers Association filed an amicus brief with the state Supreme Court to support an appeal of the power purchase agreement between Deepwater Wind and utility National Grid, the Providence Journal reported today.

In August, the state’s Public Utilities Commission approved the pricing contract, which calls for National Grid to buy power from Deepwater’s Block Island project at 24.4 cents per kilowatt hour in the first year of operation.  That approval is being appealed by the outgoing attorney general, the Conservation Law Foundation and two manufacturers.

The brief was filed last week but it is not yet clear if it will be accepted as part of the case, according to the Journal report.

The Boston Globe reported that the extended tax credit would apply to projects that begin construction before the end of 2011.

The bill is expected to receive final Senate approval on Tuesday and be delivered to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the New York Times reported.  The Times reported that the bill is also expected to receive approval in the House.

American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode said that the inclusion of a tax credit extension in the tax bill was “a great day for American workers.”

Massachusetts Business Group Challenges Cape Wind Contract

A consortium of Massachusetts businesses appealed to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to set aside a power purchase agreement between the Cape Wind project and utility National Grid, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts said in a statement Monday that the approval of the contract — which calls for National Grid to buy 50 percent of the project’s power — was “arbitrary, capricious,” and an “abuse of discretion and not otherwise in accordance with the law.”

The Maine-based Institute could continue as a non profit research group, join with another organization or pursue a private, for-profit path in the offshore energy arena, according to the Press Herald.

“Those are all things that are part of Matt’s vision, and we are working on that,” Allen Fernald, the secretary of the Institute’s board, was quoted as saying.

The board of directors is expected to develop a plan in time for the next meeting of the Institute’s advisory board — which is scheduled for September 20.

Cape Wind Hearings Begin in Boston

Twelve days of hearings on the Cape Wind power purchase agreement were scheduled to begin Tuesday at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the Boston Herald reported yesterday.

The hearings will focus on the cost of electricity generated by the proposed 130-turbine wind farm.  National Grid has agreed to pay 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour for that electricity in the first year of operations, with a 3.5 percent annual escalation.

“There so much animosity,” said Timothy Shevlin, the executive director of the Department of Public Utilities.  “So it’s not really routine.”

The Public Utilities Commission said that NStar must allow out-of-state electricity generators to compete for three contracts but Cape Wind — which has a contract with National Grid — was excluded because that agreement was reached in one-on-one negotiations, according to the Globe report.

National Grid agreed to a power purchase agreement with Cape Wind to buy half the wind farm’s output and that deal is being reviewed by the Public Utilities Commission.  Massachusetts had required renewable energy to be purchased from in-state generators.  Earlier this year, wind developer TransCanada had protested that rule and it was eventually lifted.

“The so-called protectionism rule had no effect on our decision to sign up Cape Wind,’’ the Globe quoted National Grid lawyer Ronald Gerwatowski saying.

Legislator Wants NYPA Offshore Wind Bidding Information

New York State Sen. George Maziarz — the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee — has filed a Freedom of Information request for details on Great Lakes offshore wind bids submitted to the New York Power Authority, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported today.

The request from Maziarz  follows a similar one from the Democrat and Chonricle, which has complained that the a response from the NYPA is long overdue.  Maziarz told the paper that he hopes his request forces the NYPA to reveal information about specific bids.

“If they don’t, I’m going to sue them myself. One way or the other, the information’s coming out,” Maziarz was quoted as saying.

Norwegian Company Choosing Site for Floating Turbine Demonstration

Norwegian energy company Statoil AS is deciding between Maine, Norway and two sites in Scotland for the demonstration site of its floating offshore wind turbines, Bloomberg reported yesterday.

The company will decide on a site for its project — known as Hywind — in 2011, according to a company spokesman.

Last month Coakley helped negotiate a reduction in the proposed rate from 20.7 cents per kilowatt/hour to 18.7 cents per kilowatt/hour.

The Globe also reported that Coakley withdrew her request for cost information from the deal.  The attorney general initially said that information was crucial to allow for an appraisal of the project’s merits.

In another piece of good news for the developer, the Federal Aviation Administration has finalized its “Determination of No Hazard,” Cape Wind announced yesterday.

The pressure came as the commission enters its final week of hearing evidence on the pricing deal for an eight-turbine farm off Block Island — a decision is scheduled for Aug. 11.  The agreement calls for electricity to be purchased at 24.4 cents per kilowatt hour in the first year of operations.  A similar deal was struck down by the commission earlier this year, but the Rhode Island legislature essentially directed the regulators to re-examine the agreement.

According to the Journal, some observers believe “the PUC will have no choice but to approve” the project.  During a hearing on Monday, however, Commission Chairman Elia Germani questioned cost estimates for the project and accused Deepwater of being a “shell company” — a charge that Deepwater officials vigorously contested.

Carcieri, House Speaker Gordon Fox and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed also submitted a letter to the commission last Friday in support of the project.  The letter says that Rhode Island has an opportunity to be a national leader in the offshore wind industry, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

The Block Island Times also reported on Monday’s hearing, in a piece that ranged between reporting and anti-Deepwater opinion.

According to the Times, Deepwater “faced a barrage of skepticism,” including questions from an attorney representing state manufacturers who “persistently questioned Deepwater CEO William Moore to show that the cost and projected profit were understated.”

The deal would lower electric rates on Block Island but raise them on the mainland, the Times reported.

In May, National Grid agreed to buy half of the electricity produced by the proposed 130-turbine wind farm.  The price in the first year of operations was set at 20.7 cents per kilowatt hour with an annual escalation of 3.5 percent.  That power purchase agreement was being reviewed by Massachusetts regulators and must be approved before Cape Wind can secure construction financing.  Coakley had recently raised objections to the price of the electricity.

Under the new power purchase agreement, the price of electricity in the first year of the wind farm’s operation will be 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour, the Herald reported.

On Saturday, the Cape Cod Times followed up with more details on the price reduction, including an agreement that any contract to sell the second half of the wind farm’s electricity would also be subject to regulatory review and — if lower than 18.7 cents — will apply to the entire output.

Coakley announced that the reduction would save ratepayers $456 million over the 15-year life of the contract, according to the Times.

The Times quoted Coakley saying that “this agreement accomplished two important goals — working to develop renewable energy, specifically off-shore wind in Massachusetts, and insuring customers get the benefits of this project under a much fairer price than what was originally proposed.”

New York County Explains Wind Farm Opposition

Several members of the Oswego County Legislature explained why they oppose the New York Power Authority’s plans to build a Great Lakes offshore wind farm, the Fulton, NY, Valley News reported on Saturday.

The Valley News quoted Legislator Louella LeClair saying there is “no benefit as far as taxing or anything else for the host community … We would get no benefit for our county as far as tax dollars and we would get no benefit as far as rate reduction.”

LeClair was also quoted saying that an offshore wind farm “could totally destroy our fishing industry that we rely on.”

Legislators also sought to distinguish between their opposition to offshore wind and to wind power in general.

The Valley News quoted Legislator Art Ospelt saying “I’m not against wind power … I’m against it in the lake.”