OffshoreWind.net- Offshore Wind Energy News in North America

Interior to Speed New Offshore Wind Leasing in Mid-Atlantic- Nov. 23 2010

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 07:19:57 -0500

The Interior Department today announced that it hopes to offer new offshore wind leases in the Atlantic by the end of 2011 by conducting front-end environmental reviews of the breeziest federal waters and collaborating with several coastal states. At a news conference today at Baltimore's Fort McHenry, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the department will identify wind energy areas (WEAs) ripe for offshore development; conduct environmental reviews; and improve coordination with local, state and federal agencies to accelerate the approval of new leases. ..

National Grid Given Approval To Buy Half Of Cape Wind Power- Nov. 22 2010

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:20:52 -0500

-The Massachusetts utility regulator approved the sale of half of the power generated by a long-planned wind farm off Cape Cod to National Grid PLC (NGG) Monday. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approval is the latest milestone for what's expected to be the nation's first offshore wind project, allowing National Grid to buy the power under a 15-year contract at a price that's about double current market prices. Regulators, however, denied the company's petition to approve a second power-purchase agreement for the remaining output from the project, known as Cape Wind, because it did not specify a buyer...

Siemens to provide turbines for Lake Erie wind project- Nov 1 2010

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 23:41:25 -0400

Lake Erie Alternative Power (LEAP, Malvern, Pa., USA), which is supporting the development of offshore wind around the Great Lakes, has announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent with Siemens, whereby Siemens will deliver offshore wind turbines to LEAP’s projects. LEAP has achieved an important milestone in the completion of their strategy for their Great Lakes projects. Additionally, as part of the proposed 5,040-MW wind project, LEAP is planning to develop and build the first US flagged wind-specific vessels in support of the project...

Fall River lands Cape Wind terminal- Oct 20 2010

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 07:20:53 -0400

NEW BEDFORD — The city has been chosen as the site for a multimillion-dollar facility to support the installation of offshore wind projects including Cape Wind, which has selected the new terminal as its staging area, Gov. Deval Patrick said Tuesday. The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, which will be built over about 20 acres in the South Terminal area of the port, is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the region and thrust New Bedford and the state to the forefront of the offshore renewable industry, according to state officials...

Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Google's Backing- Oct. 12 2010

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:39:35 -0400

Google and a New York financial firm have each agreed to invest heavily in a proposed $5 billion transmission backbone for future offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Seaboard that could ultimately transform the region’s electrical map...

Salazar Signs Cape Wind Lease, First for U.S. Waters- Oct. 6 2010

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:50:09 -0400

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Cape Wind Associates LLC today signed the lease for a wind farm off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the first in U.S. waters...

Christie signs law encouraging offshore wind turbines- August 20 2010

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:40:08 -0400

A law signed Thursday by Gov. Christie pushed New Jersey a big step forward in the race to become the first state to erect offshore wind turbines. Legislators said the action could bring hundreds of green-energy jobs to Paulsboro, which they hope will become a hub of turbine manufacturing... Offshore wind developers will earn credits for the megawatt hours they produce. Power suppliers in the state are required to buy a certain number of credits - enough to support 1,100 megawatts of wind-power generation - to satisfy state renewable-energy requirements. The guaranteed revenue from the credits should help developers secure financing for their projects.

Duke Energy axes North Carolina offshore wind pilot- August 20 2010

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:39:00 -0400

Power company Duke Energy has called off its efforts to develop a small offshore wind facility in a North Carolina lagoon. The company said almost a year ago it would build three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound to demonstrate offshore wind technology. However, it said yesterday that analysis of the proposals has suggested permitting, design and construction are “no longer economically viable”...

PUC approves Deepwater Wind-National Grid power deal, but appeals expected-Aug 11 2010

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:47:51 -0400

In a series of votes, the R.I. Public Utilities Commission approved the power-purchase agreement that will govern the sale of electricity from the eight-turbine wind farm off the coast of Block Island to National Grid’s distribution system. The 20-year contract calls for Deepwater to sell electricity at 24.4 cents a kilowatt-hour in the first full year of operation in 2013 with the price increasing 3.5 percent each year after that..

Cape Wind, Attorney General Reach Deal On Electricity Cost - August 2 2010

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 07:52:38 -0400

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has announced an agreement in principle with Cape Wind that will reduce the costs for ratepayers of the proposed contract. Reducing the starting price of electricity for year 2013 from $0.207/kWh to $0.187 cents/kWh with an escalation factor of 3.5% per year, if the entire project is built. If only a portion of the project is built, the starting price will be capped at $.0193/kWh.

Bluewater deadlines set back two years- August 5 q010

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 07:48:17 -0400

NRG Bluewater Wind has pushed back its construction milestones for a planned offshore wind farm by two years, agreeing with Delmarva Power on a host of extensions that acknowledge a longer-than-expected timeline for obtaining federal permits. The new deadline to begin delivering power from the turbines 11 miles off Rehoboth Beach is Dec. 1, 2016, two years later than originally specified in the parties' contract of June 2008...

State denies Cape Wind foe’s request for longer review- July 29 2010

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 07:50:31 -0400

The most vocal group to oppose Cape Wind was dealt a setback yesterday, when the state Department of Public Utilities denied its request for more time to review confidential cost and pricing data about the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm. The state agency, which must approve a proposed deal by the utility National Grid to buy power from Cape Wind, said the request by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound for three additional weeks of review was unnecessary because the group has already had “adequate time’’ to review much of the material...

Attorney General seeks Cape Wind’s profit estimates- July 9 2010

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:25:54 -0400

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is demanding that Cape Wind’s developers disclose cost and profit estimates for the energy project and is questioning whether power from the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm would be a good deal for consumers...

Cape Wind not among NStar’s contracts- July10 2010

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:22:32 -0400

The utility company NStar has made deals to buy electricity from three Western Massachusetts wind farms — but not Cape Wind, a controversial offshore wind farm that is the state’s largest renewable energy project....

Cape Wind gets a boost from CEOs- July 1 2010

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 23:31:59 -0400

The giant retailer Wal-Mart and one of the state’s largest business groups may have expressed concern about the high cost of Cape Wind’s electricity, but several chief executives say they are willing to pay more for clean energy...