New Hampshire Seeks to Explore Offshore Wind Potential

New Hampshire Seeks to Explore Offshore Wind Potential

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…...

Virginia Poised to Reap Offshore Wind Industry Benefits by Establishing Supply Chain

Virginia Poised to Reap Offshore Wind Industry Benefits by Establishing Supply Chain: Report

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…...

NJR Clean Energy Wins FERC Approval for $209 Million sale of Wind Portfolio

NJR Clean Energy Wins FERC Approval for $209 Million sale of Wind Portfolio

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…...

Minnesota Power Wins Approval for 250-Megawatt Wind Power Contract

Minnesota Power Wins Approval for 250-Megawatt Wind Power Contract

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…...

Dominion’s Millstone Nuclear Plant Wins Zero-Carbon Energy Contract in Connecticut

Dominion’s Millstone Nuclear Plant Wins Zero-Carbon Energy Contract in Connecticut

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…...

New Jersey Approves Funding Method for 3.5-Gigawatt Offshore Wind Program

New Jersey Approves Funding Method for 3.5-Gigawatt Offshore Wind Program

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…...

New York Clean Energy Standard Enters Third Phase, Incorporates Offshore Wind Credits

New York Clean Energy Standard Enters Third Phase, Incorporates Offshore Wind Credits

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 to Buy 157 Megawatt Wind Facility in Missouri as Part of $1 Billion Commitment to Expand Renewables

Ameren to Buy 157 Megawatt Wind Facility in Missouri as Part of $1 Billion Commitment to Expand Renewables

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…

Record-Breaking $405M Massachusetts Offshore Wind Auction Signals Growing Industry

Record-Breaking $405M Massachusetts Offshore Wind Auction Signals Growing Industry

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,…

U.S. House Approves Bill That Would Facilitate Offshore Wind Projects in U.S. Territories

U.S. House Approves Bill That Would Facilitate Offshore Wind Projects in U.S. Territories

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…

Iowa Board Authorizes Rate Recovery for MidAmerican Energy’s 600-Megawatt Wind Project

Iowa Board Authorizes Rate Recovery for MidAmerican Energy’s 600-Megawatt Wind Project

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.…

District of Columbia Updates Renewable Portfolio Standard Rules to Increase Clarity

District of Columbia Updates Renewable Portfolio Standard Rules to Increase Clarity

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…