Republican Governor Christopher Sununu wrote a letter requesting the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management establish an intergovernmental offshore renewable energy task force for the state, according to a Jan. 7 press release. Sununu said that the measure would facilitate coordination between federal, state and local governments on commercial leasing proposals. If the request is…...
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam on Dec. 27 unveiled a report providing a roadmap for Virginia to develop a supply chain to serve offshore wind projects planned along the East Coast. The report examines Virginia’s strategic role in the emerging industry, highlighting that the state is well-positioned to serve as a supply chain hub thanks to…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Dec. 31 authorized NJR Clean Energy Ventures II Corporation to sell its interests in four wind energy projects totaling 117 megawatts to SRIV Partnership LLC. NJR Clean Energy said that the $208.5 million transaction completes the sale of all its operating wind facilities. In June, the company sold a…...
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission authorized Minnesota Power’s 20-year power purchase agreement with Tenaska Inc. for 250 megawatts of wind-generated power, according to a Dec. 20 press release. The energy would be supplied by the proposed Nobles 2 facility in Nobles County along Buffalo Ridge expected to come online in October 2020. The contract, which…...
Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy on Dec. 28 announced the selection of two nuclear plants — Dominion Energy Inc.’s Millstone Power Station in Connecticut and NextEra Energy Inc.’s Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in New Hampshire — along with nine solar projects and one offshore wind project in the state’s solicitation for zero-carbon electricity. The procurements totaling nearly…...
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities adopted a proposed rule establishing offshore wind renewable energy certificates or ORECs detailing a process to fund the state’s offshore wind program and flow back revenue to ratepayers, according to a Dec. 18 press release. The industry has gained momentum under Democratic Governor Phil Murphy who seeks to…...
The New York Public Service Commission on Dec. 14 approved phase III of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s plan to implement the Clean Energy Standard or CES, adopted in August 2016, to achieve the state’s goal of obtaining half its electricity from renewable resources by 2030. The program includes a renewable…...
Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corp., announced an agreement to buy a 157-MW wind generation facility to be built in northern Missouri, according to the company’s Oct. 22 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hill wind project, to be developed by EDF Renewable Energy Inc., is expected to come online in 2020. The acquisition is subject…
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned three leases off Massachusetts’ coast earmarked for the development of offshore wind farms, reaping a record-breaking $405-million, according to a Dec. 14 press release. The bureau sold commercial wind energy leases comprising nearly 390,000 acres, which are expected to support about 4.1 gigawatts of power. Out of 11 bidders,…
The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10 passed legislation that would authorize offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zone adjacent to all five U.S. territories extending 200 nautical miles seaward, while state waters extending 3 nautical miles would continue to remain under territorial jurisdiction. The bill would provide each territory with state-equivalent…
The Iowa Utility Board on Dec. 4 approved a settlement determining ratemaking principles for MidAmerican Energy Company’s proposed 591-megawatt Wind XII Project. The settlement establishes a cost cap of $1.560 million per megawatt and a return on equity of 11 percent. For construction work in progress, an equity rate of 10 percent will be applied.…
The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia issued an update to its renewable energy portfolio standard policy revising the generator certification and eligibility requirement, eliminating redundancies, deleting obsolete sections and generally clarifying the commission’s rules, according to a Dec. 5 order. On Nov. 27, the Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to advance a…
