RenewablesOffshore

Offshore Wind RoundUp

Here's a quick round up on U.S. offshore wind activity that we've been covering here (Cape Wind) and here (Delaware).

Deja Vu All Over Again...DEIS for Cape Wind from MMS In November 2004, the Corps issued a 3000 page Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Cape Wind offshore wind project. Thereafter, the Energy Policy Act was passed, giving MMS jurisdiction over the project and necessitating another DEIS. MMS released its DEIS two weeks ago, giving the thumbs up to the project. To the extent that the DEIS identified impacts on birds or fish, it found that most could be mitigated or would not be significant. The public has an opportunity to comment on the DEIS, and Cape Wind still needs to obtain several state and local permits, so don't expect project construction to start anytime soon!

Delmarva now considering onshore wind With Bluewater Wind's offshore wind proposal now stalled pending further study of costs, Delmarva, the utility which had been ordered by the PSC to enter into negotiations with Bluewater for a PPA, is now examining onshore wind options. Source: Capewind Gazette (1/25/08). According to the article, Delmarva Power has invested $3.7 million investigating Bluewater’s offer, and as a result of this expenditure, now says that it can more effectively shop around for and compare onshore wind options. But some quoted in the article wonder whether Delmarva Power's newfound excitement about offshore wind is a diversionary tactic to block the offshore project.

Offshore Wind Round Up: DOD Approval for Cape Wind, Challenge To Delaware Project

Here's the latest offshore wind news round up. There's good news for Cape Wind according to this story from Renewable Energy Access, as the Department of Defense determined that the project would not interfere with radar missile defense systems. On the other hand, news for Bluewater Wind is not so promising;
Delmarva Power has challenged the Delaware Public Service Commission's order (6/20/07) which selected Bluewater's proposed offshore wind project as the winner in a competitive bid process and directed Delmarva to enter into contract negotiations. (See our earlier coverage here.
Delmarva argues the Commission did not apply its own criteria in choosing the bid (the independent consultant had chosen another proposal) and that the option selected (the wind plant, with gas back up) was not a formal bid.

I haven't reviewed Delmarva's petition but based on the description in the article, Delmarva's arguments sound plausible. Public utility commissions typically have broad discretion, but courts keep them on a tight leash when it comes to compliance with their own rules. If the PSC changed the rules of the bidding process (and again, I haven't followed the procedure closely enough to know), that's strong grounds for vacating the decision. Which would be a huge setback for offshore wind in Delaware.

Additional discussion of the Cape Wind Delay

A few weeks ago, we posted about MMS' plans to delay issuance of a draft EIS for the Cape Wind Project. I just assumed that the delay was caused by general bureaucratic delay, but this post by Jack Coleman at Cape Cod today offers a different explanation, one which has generated 250 comments worth of discussion. According to Coleman, Cape Wind's application failed to mention the need to dredge Horseshoe Shoal - but Cape Wind's project map suggests that it will have no alternative but to dredge, given that some of the turbines will be located in only 12 feet of water. Coleman believes that the dredging issue may eventually doom the project.

But according to Cape Wind supporters, there's another side to the story. This post summarizes Cape Wind's view, which is that dredging will not take place, since Cape Wind has reduced the proposed project footprint from 170 to 130 turbines, which will allow more space to avoid shallow areas.