Renewable Energy
Cape Wind Might Not Blow for Years
The project billed as the nation’s first offshore wind farm won’t be spinning its turbines until at least 2015, grid officials say.
Offshore wind energy near Massachusetts won't be a reality for years, grid officials say.
ISO New England, which administers the regional transmission system, declined to include Cape Wind in a capacity auction in a six-state region for 2015-16.
The grid operator said upgrades to a needed transmission project probably will not be completed in the next three years.
Additionally, ISO New England and its consultants said “… it is unlikely that the project will achieve Commercial Operation by the start of the 2015-2016 Capacity Commitment Period.” The auction for that period starts in April 2012.
Cape Wind officials said they disagree with the finding, which was submitted as part of a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this month.
However, the $2.6 billion project, which would put 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound off the Massachusetts coast, has had trouble getting traction since it was proposed a decade ago. It faced a variety of permitting and environmental challenges, and a planned startup date of 2009 has long since passed.
National Grid has agreed to buy half of the wind farm’s output for about 19 cents per kilowatt-hour, on the condition that it starts producing power by the end of 2015. Project operators are still seeking buyers for the remainder of the power.
The federal government approved permits for Cape Wind after years of review, but the Energy Department put the project’s application for a federal loan guarantee application on hold last May, citing questions about its readiness to proceed.
Upon completion, the project is expected to generate 468 megawatts.
Tags: Renewable Energy, Wind Energy