Saving Seafood

Gov. Charlie Baker is in Washington D. C. to push for the wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard

July 30, 2019 — Governor Charlie Baker is in Washington D. C. Monday for talks with key White House officials to discuss plans to install a long-anticipated wind farm proposed in Martha’s Vineyard.

“Our goal is going to be to get as much clarity as we can over the next several days and then work with Vineyard Wind to put together a cure plan because we really want this project to happen.”

His meeting will be with the Interior Secretary, David Bernhardt, who oversees the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Construction of the wind farm is scheduled to begin Dec. 19.

Read the full story at MassLive

MASSACHUSETTS: Baker eyeing ‘cure plan’ for Vineyard Wind

July 30, 2019 — After a “really productive and substantive” meeting with new U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker said his administration will be working with Vineyard Wind to address the federal government’s concerns with the project in line to be the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind development.

The federal government injected a level of uncertainty into Vineyard Wind, a $2.8 billion, 800-megawatt offshore wind project planned for the waters off Martha’s Vineyard, earlier this month when the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management notified project officials that the government was “not yet prepared” to issue a final environmental impact statement, which had been expected this month.

“What I was really seeking was some clarity so that we can work with Vineyard Wind and with our colleagues in the Congressional delegation and others to cure whatever the concerns are,” Baker said Monday afternoon after his meeting with Bernhardt and before returning to D.C. for more meetings. He added, “Our goal is going to be to get as much clarity as we can over the next several days and then work with Vineyard Wind to put together a cure plan, because we really want this project to happen.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

First big U.S. offshore wind project hits snag due to fishing-industry concerns

July 29, 2019 — Trump administration infighting is holding up approval of the first major U.S. offshore wind energy project, with agencies sparring over whether the proposal does enough to protect the fishing industry, according to interviews and agency documents.

The delays are a setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to fast-track big energy infrastructure projects and could threaten the administration’s plans to launch a promising new domestic industry.

How the problem is resolved will shape the regulatory blueprint for a growing list of offshore wind developers seeking to tap in to rising U.S. demand for renewable energy, but who face objections from fishermen worried the turbines will affect commercial species or make fishing more difficult.

The Trump administration has sought to fire up development of the nascent offshore wind industry by streamlining permitting and carving out areas off the coast for leasing – part of its policy to boost domestic energy production and jobs.

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Inc (AGR.N), was scheduled to begin construction this year 14 miles (23 km) off the coast of Massachusetts to power more than 400,000 homes by 2021 – making it the first large-scale offshore wind development in the United States.

Read the full story at Reuters

You Asked, We Answered: Are Offshore Wind Developers Responsible For Fishing Gear Damaged In A Wind Farm?

July 26, 2019 — Our first offshore wind question is from Samual Freeman: Why are offshore wind developers allowed to destroy commercial fishing gear and not be responsible for the cost to find and replace this? 

So, there’s a lot going on in this question. Fishermen are worried that wind farms are going to bull-doze their way into their territory and destroy their livelihoods. But here’s what we know: if a fisherman can prove that gear is damaged as the result of a wind farm, the wind developer will be responsible for compensating the fisherman for the cost of the gear and any potential lost income.

Every developer has a slightly different process in how they handle these claims. But in the end, if a fisherman’s claim is found to be valid, the developer must pay for the damage. It’s the law.

What else are wind developers doing to compensate fishermen for any potential lost or damaged gear?

So, Vineyard Wind — which is expected to build the country’s first large scale offshore wind farm — has setup a compensation plan for Rhode Island and Massachusetts fishermen which includes a trust fund to pay them for any unexpected expenses like damaged fishing gear.

Fishermen say the fund doesn’t have enough money in it to truly compensate fishermen in the event of an accident. But Vineyard Wind has told me there will be no financial limits on valid loss gear claims…even if it exceeds the trust fund amount.

Read the full story at The Public’s Radio

Ørsted Wins Bid From New York State For Large New Wind Farm Off Montauk

July 25, 2019 — State officials announced last week that energy supply contracts will be awarded to two offshore wind farm developers for the construction of giant wind farms in the waters off Long Island—including one southeast of Montauk that could bring power ashore onto the South Fork, possibly Hampton Bays.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office said it will seek to ink contracts with two projects, known as Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind, that could lead to the construction of more than 200 turbines in two areas of ocean, producing enough power for as many as 850,000 homes.

The Sunrise Wind project was proposed by Ørsted U.S. Offshore and Eversource, the companies that now own Deepwater Wind and the plans for the South Fork Wind Farm.

The Sunrise Wind proposal calls for as many as 100 turbines to be erected in the same general area of ocean as the much smaller South Fork Wind Farm, about 30 nautical miles southeast of Montauk. The company’s pitch to the state says it expects that the project could be constructed and operational by 2024, just two years after the South Fork Wind Farm is supposed to come online.

Read the full story at the Sag Harbor Express

MARYLAND: Many React to Wind Farm Plans for Ocean City

July 25, 2019 — On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford and other state leaders joined Tradepoint Atlantic and Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind in Sparrows Point to announce their partnership to develop the first-ever offshore wind energy center in Maryland.

The announcement is the latest development of Ørsted’s Skipjack offshore wind farm located 19.5 miles off the coast of Maryland, and the expansion of the state’s offshore wind energy industry and workforce.

The project is a continued push for the state to reduce its carbon emissions for years to come.

In addition to the environmental benefits, local leaders like Mike Dunn with the Greater Salisbury Committee says there could also be a boost to the local economy as well.

“Once the build out comes we think there’s the possibility for several hundred jobs here on the lower shore over the next twenty five years,” he said.

Read the full story at WBOC

Alternative energy development posing unknown risks to marine life

July 25, 2019 — The proliferation of offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy projects, constructed in response to global concerns about climate change and energy security, have been greeted with caution by marine conservationists, who question their possible detrimental consequences on sea life.

Numerous studies have been undertaken to study the behavioral and physiological effects of noise and electromagnetic fields produced by the alternative energy developments on fish, mammals, and benthic populations, and work is ongoing to develop appropriate solutions to mitigate potential impacts.

In France, a series of studies is underway as part of the three-year SPECIES project, which aims to improve knowledge about the potential interactions between benthic organisms in coastal marine ecosystems and direct electrical connection cables from marine renewable energy projects. The effects of island-continent submarine power connections are also being monitored.

“Impact studies are important to France Energies Marines, as the first commercial off-shore wind farms will soon be up and running here in France, and we need to ensure that they will be accepted,” Mélusine Gaillard, the scientific communication officer for France Energies Marines (FEM), told SeafoodSource. “The current studies will address the direct impacts due to changes in electromagnetic fields and temperature, and indirect impacts such as loss of habitat for commercial benthic species, including lobsters and spider crab.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Jeffrey Grybowski stepping down as CEO of offshore wind company Ørsted

July 24, 2019 — Jeffrey Grybowski is stepping down as co-CEO of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind after nine months in the position and a decade before that with the Rhode Island startup that built the first offshore wind farm in the United States.

He assumed his current position in October when Ørsted, the Danish company that is a global leader in offshore wind, paid $510 million to acquire Deepwater Wind, the Providence-based company that completed the five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm in 2016. His last day on the job was Tuesday.

By proving that an offshore wind farm could be built in the United States, Grybowski is arguably more responsible than anyone for ushering in the current rush of development, which has seen projects proposed along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Virginia.

Grybowski, 48, of North Kingstown, said in an interview that he will take some time off before figuring out his next move. He plans to stay in Rhode Island and use his experience to start a new energy venture.

“I think there are a lot of interesting opportunities to transition from the old way of producing and using energy to the new way of doing it,” he said.

His decision comes less than a week after Ørsted and its partner Eversource, the New England utility, were selected by New York to develop an 880-megawatt offshore wind farm and a month after New Jersey chose Ørsted to build a 1,100-megawatt project that is the largest proposal so far in the United States.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

Ørsted Announces Maryland Offshore Wind Staging Center

July 24, 2019 — Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind has announced an agreement to develop Maryland’s first offshore wind staging facility, which will be located at Tradepoint Atlantic, a 3,300-acre global logistics center in Baltimore County.

According to Ørsted, establishing this facility marks a milestone in the development of the company’s Skipjack Wind Farm, to be located 19.5 miles off Maryland’s coast. The announcement was made today alongside Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford and John Olszewski, Jr., Baltimore County executive.

“Together with Tradepoint Atlantic, we are making history by developing the first offshore wind staging center in Maryland,” comments Claus Møller, chief operating officer of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind. “This new center will create good-paying jobs, leverage Tradepoint Atlantic’s outstanding location and logistical assets, and put Maryland on the map as a global offshore wind industry hub. We are proud to work with Tradepoint Atlantic to make clean energy the newest chapter in the storied history of the Sparrows Point site as we pursue our vision of a world that runs entirely on green energy.”

Read the full story at North American Wind Power

Official: Congress members involved in Vineyard Wind push

July 24, 2019 — Members of Congress have become involved in trying to move Vineyard Wind forward, a top Baker administration official said Tuesday as lobbying intensifies to advance what state officials hope will be the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project.

Energy and Environmental Affairs Undersecretary Patrick Woodcock told members of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Board Tuesday about the involvement of members of Congress since the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management indicated it would not decide on a key project approval this month, as anticipated.

The 800-megawatt project’s future is pertinent to the center because the project has a lease with the MCEC in New Bedford, Woodcock said.

Read the full story at the Worcester Business Journal