WHETHER THEY know it or not, both Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey have bet big on lithium, a critical element for making batteries for electric vehicles and other “green” technologies. Their administrations, to varying degrees, have supported electrifying everything. Massachusetts is now following California as one of several states to mandate […]
Electricity
Posted inOpinion
Getting to yes on climate change response
CLIMATE CHANGE is real. So too is a massive transformation underway of electric power generation markets and transmission networks. That transformation is largely driven by public policies focused on electrification of vehicles, buildings, and industrial processes. This electrification, to achieve climate goals, will depend increasingly on electricity from wind and solar resources. Implementing these policies […]
Posted inEnergy
Mass.-financed power line from Quebec clears another NextEra hurdle
THE COMPANY seeking to build a Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydro-electricity from Quebec to Maine cleared another hurdle on its comeback trail when federal regulators dismissed objections raised by the nuclear power plant Seabrook Station. In a 52-page ruling, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled on Wednesday that Seabrook must upgrade a circuit breaker at […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Despite delays, Hydro-Quebec still ready to honor its Mass. contract
IT’S BEEN 3 ½ YEARS since Massachusetts utilities negotiated a massive power purchase agreement with Hydro-Quebec, and the electricity still isn’t close to flowing because of repeated delays in building a transmission line from the Canadian border down through Maine. Hydro-Quebec officials say they are ready to deliver the power as soon as the transmission […]
Posted inOpinion
3 steps for equitable climate action
JANUARY 2023 marks the beginning of a new year. For Massachusetts, it also marks the beginning of a new administration with the historic inauguration of Gov. Maura Healey, as well as a new legislative session with new (and incumbent) legislators. Both Healey as a candidate, and the Legislature during the last legislative session, have made […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Power grid put under stress over Christmas holiday
A correction has been added to the story. OVER THE CHRISTMAS holiday, the New England power grid relied heavily on oil to meet the region’s electricity needs and for a 2 ½-hour period on December 24 had to scramble to cover a temporary shortfall in power supplies. The shortfall on the afternoon of December 24 […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
DPU approves wind farm contracts despite financing concerns
A correction has been added to this story. THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES on Friday approved 20-year power purchase agreements between the state’s three major utilities and the offshore wind developers behind Commonwealth Wind and Mayflower Wind, rejecting claims and concerns raised by the developers that the contracts are no longer adequate to finance their […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State Government
Utilities urge DPU to force wind developer’s hand
EVERSOURCE, NATIONAL GRID, and Unitil are urging state regulators to require Avangrid to push ahead with its 1,200-megawatt Commonwealth Wind project even though the company says the price it would receive for the power is not enough to secure financing for the wind farm. The move by the state’s utilities is the latest twist in […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Santa comes early for offshore wind businesses
CHRISTMAS CAME early for the fledgling offshore wind industry in Massachusetts, as the Baker administration handed out $180 million on Tuesday for infrastructure improvements and businesses in New Bedford, Somerset, and Salem. The money flowed, even though the wind farms the state is counting on to spur the industry are having difficulty financing their projects. […]
Posted inOpinion
How do floating wind farms work?
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA has some of the strongest offshore winds in the US, with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible. Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep – roughly […]