AVANGRID’S KEN Kimmell said his company can get its Commonwealth Wind project back on track with “a very modest increase” in the price state ratepayers would pay for the electricity. Appearing on The Codcast, Kimmell, Avangrid’s vice president of offshore wind development, said the company bid the current price in September 2021 and affirmed it […]
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Posted inEnvironment
Report says Boston not meeting climate action targets
Boston University Statehouse Program AN INAUGURAL progress report says Boston isn’t on pace to meet its goal of cutting carbon emissions by half before 2030 and becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. The report – issued by the Boston Foundation and developed in partnership with the Boston Green Ribbon Commission – includes findings from more than 50 […]
Posted inEnergy
Baker open to Commonwealth Wind negotiations
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER indicated on Wednesday that he doesn’t want a high-stakes procurement process for offshore wind to collapse because of a dispute over the terms of the power purchase contract. Commonwealth Wind, a 1,200 megawatt project being developed by Avangrid, says the contract it agreed to in May is no longer sufficient to attract […]
Posted inEnergy
Wind farm, utilities at odds on electricity contracts
COMMONWEALTH WIND on Tuesday told state regulators that the contracts for electricity it negotiated with the state’s utilities in May need to be renegotiated because of changed economic circumstances. But the utilities, in their own filing with the Department of Public Utilities, said they had no intention of renegotiating the contracts and they should be […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Wind farm developer seeks to reopen power contract
A correction has been added to this story. THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is in a bind on offshore wind. The state desperately needs the power from proposed wind farms off the coast, but the largest of those wind farms now says the contract price it agreed to in April and affirmed in May is no longer […]
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
Wind farm raises alarms about its viability
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MAJOR OFFSHORE wind project in the Massachusetts pipeline “is no longer viable and would not be able to move forward” under the terms of contracts filed in May and now both developers behind the state’s next two offshore wind projects are asking state regulators to pause review of the contracts […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Politics
What’s behind the pipeline debate in governor’s race?
Q: Why are the two candidates running for governor, Democrat Maura Healey and Republican Geoff Diehl, arguing about natural gas pipelines that never got built? A: It’s actually a very interesting issue, and one that goes to the heart of an ongoing and important debate about the best way to keep the lights on in […]
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
State’s largest solar field opens in Ludlow
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A RENEWABLE ENERGY project in Ludlow will soon start generating enough power for more than 1,500 homes, boosters said as they cut the ribbon Monday on the “largest single solar field and the largest municipally-owned solar project” in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company said the project will generate more than […]
Posted inOpinion
Putin’s aggression is being felt in our electric bills
The announcement this week that Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other oil-producing countries — known as OPEC plus — are planning to cut output and inflate gas prices for drivers makes it clear that energy is going to be weaponized by nations seeking to challenge America’s global influence. Indeed, here in Massachusetts we are feeling the sting of […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate bill gained through omission
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER in August signed into law a comprehensive bill to address climate change. The bill includes provisions designed to reach a net zero carbon goal by 2050 by promoting the adoption of electric vehicles, supporting the modernization of the power grid, and expanding support for the development of offshore wind power. But one of […]