|
Welcome back!
What’s going on with “the Saudi Arabia of wind power”?
Massachusetts has the largest technical potential for offshore wind development in the country. Our strong prevailing winds and shallow coastal waters allow for highly productive wind turbines that can be placed far offshore. If our total offshore wind power is developed, Massachusetts could generate many times the amount of electricity to power the state, even in the future scenario when the state is fully electrified. Enough to export power to other states.
New electricity storage technologies are on the verge of deployment that will give us clean backup power for the grid on days when the wind doesn’t blow. It feels as though we’re about to turn a corner toward a clean energy future that could make a real difference in tempering climate change.
But optimism has been tempered lately by inflation and supply chain challenges which have put the next two multibillion-dollar wind farms, which together would generate enough electricity to power another million homes, in jeopardy, for now at least.
Avangrid announced plans last fall to terminate contracts with Massachusetts utilities for its Commonwealth Wind project, citing unexpected cost increases tied largely to higher interest rates and the war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, developers of the SouthCoast Wind project did the same.
That comes as a real blow to the likelihood that Massachusetts will meet its aggressive climate goals in the coming years. It takes a long time to deploy massive offshore wind farms of the kind envisaged for the state, and every delay puts those goals in jeopardy.
Jobs and economic development are also at stake. While other states more aggressively courted manufacturing work than Massachusetts did (many components for Vineyard Wind are being made in Europe), the state still expects the burgeoning industry to produce hundreds if not thousands of jobs in places like New Bedford and Salem. Redoing the contracts will certainly slow that down.
However, state officials are not giving up. In May, the parameters for a fourth round of wind contract bids were announced, the largest yet in Massachusetts in terms of generating capacity. That could incentivize at least one new project and give SouthCoast and Commonwealth another opportunity to bid.
Senator Mike Barrett hasn’t lost hope, and feels the slowdown will have less impact on the climate goals timeline than some fear. ”The delay in generating offshore wind is going to put the 2025 and 2030 emissions limits for electric power in some jeopardy, but only for a year or two,” Barrett said.
Let’s hope he’s right.
For even more environmental news, info, and events, check out the latest newsletter from our colleagues at Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT)!
— The NFGiM Team
| 
