THE SENATE’S top budget official is calling for Avangrid to be banned from bidding on any future projects in the state if it terminates its current offshore wind contract. Avangrid agreed to the terms of a 20-year power purchase agreement last year and just before it won final regulatory approval the company stepped forward to […]
Energy
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Opinion
Fair share for the fossil fuel industry
RIGHT NOW, the fossil fuel industry is booming. A recent Reuters report said that Exxon Mobil made record annual profits in 2022, raking in $55.7 billion, exceeding its previous record of $45.2 billion in 2008. In 2018, the top 200 oil, gas, and mining companies had a combined revenue of $8 trillion – more than double […]
Posted inOpinion
Pushing back against the defenders of natural gas
WE TAKE exception to Arnold Wallenstien’s recent commentary, in which he argues against a rapid transition from gas to renewable energy. First, he fails to consider the alternative to a rapid transition, which is climate chaos. He talks about “climate zealots” as if they were a fringe group who focus on exaggerated concerns and ignore reality. […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Back-channel talks on Commonwealth Wind
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION has been working behind the scenes to get the Avangrid wind farm project back on track, but so far little progress has been made. Avangrid last year secured a power purchase agreement for Commonwealth Wind with the state’s three utilities and agreed to terms, but then claimed interest rate hikes, inflation, the […]
Posted inOpinion
Decarbonization road map has some gaping holes
GOV. MAURA HEALEY has gotten off to a good running start on implementing the Commonwealth’s plans to combat climate change by establishing an Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience within the governor’s office and appointing a climate chief. The state’s long range climate change plans are embodied in the “Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Road Map,” which […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Avangrid seeking price relief on offshore wind, hydro projects
THE CEO of Avangrid told financial analysts on Wednesday that his company needs price relief on two of the biggest renewable projects in New England – a major wind farm off the coast of Nantucket and a transmission line carrying hydroelectricity into the region from Quebec. In his remarks, Pedro Azagra also voiced support for […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government, State House News Service
Tepper names former colleague to head DOER
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT of Energy Resources will be under new management as the Healey administration looks to implement its own vision and strategy to advance the state’s clean energy shift. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper announced Tuesday that she appointed Elizabeth Mahony, a veteran of the attorney general’s office, as […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Opinion
Clean energy generators are already proving their worth
AS HAS BEEN widely reported, the arctic cold snap that swept through New England on Christmas Eve, combined with an unexpected system shortfall due to generator outages and reduced energy imports, left grid operators struggling to meet demand. For over two hours, a shortfall of over 2,000 megawatts required a swift dispatch of the grid’s peaker […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State House News Service
New Devens fusion center to host US energy secretary
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE TOP ENERGY official in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet plans to visit Massachusetts on Friday to celebrate the opening of a new commercial fusion energy research center. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm plans to join elected officials and state policy leaders at a ribbon-cutting event in Devens, where Commonwealth Fusion Systems […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Somerset infighting resumes; cable factory may be threatened
THE TOWN of Somerset – and its largest landowner, Brayton Point LLC – are fighting again, potentially jeopardizing the construction of a factory making cable for the emerging offshore wind industry. The proposed factory, a tangible sign of offshore wind’s potential, would be a dream come true for the town, the company, and the state, […]