THE MASSACHUSETTS Department of Public Utilities on Wednesday approved without comment the termination of an offshore wind power purchase agreement negotiated between Eversource and Commonwealth Wind and approved by the DPU at the end of last year. Avangrid, the developer behind Commonwealth Wind, sought the termination after it concluded rising inflation, supply chain disruptions, and […]
Energy
Posted inOpinion
Three steps for turning the power grid around
THE UTTER DEVASTATION of summer flooding in New England and New York and the Canadian wildfire smoke that shrouded the Northeast in an orange haze in June shouts an inescapable truth louder than any voice: Climate change knows no geographic boundaries. Like it or not, the climate crisis is a global and regional issue. We’re […]
Posted inThe Download
Beacon Hill inaction leaves Avangrid in awkward spot
On July 27, the CEO of Avangrid told financial analysts that his company was preparing to resume work on the Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England. From his remarks, it was clear that Pedro Azagra green-lighted construction because of the willingness of House and Senate lawmakers in Massachusetts to support efforts […]
Posted inPolitics
Beacon Hill inaction leaves Avangrid in awkward spot
ON JULY 27, the CEO of Avangrid told financial analysts that his company was preparing to resume work on the Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England. From his remarks, it was clear that Pedro Azagra green-lighted construction because of the willingness of House and Senate lawmakers in Massachusetts to support efforts […]
Posted inOpinion
All-electric homes are cheaper to build than fossil fuel residences
OUTSIDE THE STATE LEGISLATURE’S doors, our air was filled with wildfire smoke from Canada and extreme heat, while record flooding wiped out farms and livelihoods in western Massachusetts. Inside, lobbyists and special interests used a flawed academic report in an attempt to undermine Massachusetts’s climate goals, creating false headlines designed to push us back decades. […]
Posted inEnergy
Avangrid provides on-the-water glimpse of offshore wind future
WIND FARM DEVELOPER Avangrid provided a preview of coming attractions on Wednesday, taking a group of lawmakers, environmental advocates, and reporters out to the construction site of the nation’s first commercial scale wind farm. No wind turbines are up yet at Vineyard Wind 1, a $4 billion joint venture of Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. […]
Posted inEnergy
Avangrid resuming construction of Mass.-financed hydro line
THE TOP OFFICIAL at Avangrid said construction of the Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into Maine is slated to resume next week, and his presentation suggested the project could be up and running this year. In an earnings call with financial analysts, Pedro Azagra, the CEO of Avangrid, said the company notified regulators […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State House News Service
Healey administration nixes plan for Plymouth nuclear wastewater
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE REGULATORS denied a bid by the company in charge of decommissioning the nuclear power plant in Plymouth to discharge 1.1 million gallons of industrial wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. After years of local opposition to the company’s discharge plan, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued the draft determination Monday, […]
Posted inEnergy, Opinion
A game plan for bridging the coming energy divide
WHENEVER THERE IS a major transition, there is often a divide between the haves and the have-nots. Consider the digital divide. To this day, some communities still don’t have broadband internet access. We are about to see a similar divide with respect to energy and the environment. According to a report published by McKinsey & […]
Posted inEnergy, Government
Ominous offshore wind news from Rhode Island
IN WHAT COULD BE a foreshadowing of future offshore wind pricing, Rhode Island’s leading utility this week opted not to move forward with a project called Revolution Wind 2 because the cost of the electricity was deemed too high. “Higher interest rates, increased costs of capital and supply chain expenses, as well as the uncertainty […]