Happy snowy Friday afternoon.
In this week’s energy news, Penn Energy citing an AP story reports that National Grid is proposing a transmission project that would bring up to 1,200 megawatts of clean energy from Canada to the New England power grid and run along existing lines in Vermont and New Hampshire. The project, Granite State Power Link, would primarily serve customers in Massachusetts, has two segments, and would create more than 2,000 construction jobs.
According to the Concord Monitor, opponents of the Northern Pass project, when hearing about the Granite State Power Link project said, “What took so long?” However, the story notes that it doesn’t mean Grid is going to get a warm welcome for their proposal. It will be interesting to watch this all play out.
Speaking of Northern Pass, in addition to the new competition, the Union Leader reports that Eversource learned on Monday that the NH PUC ruled against a petition the company filed last June seeking approval of a proposed 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Hydro Renewable Energy (Northern Pass), after determining the proposal is “inconsistent with New Hampshire law.”
Heading to southern New England, even though most people think the Cape Wind project is long dead (they don’t even respond for comment), the Cape Cod Times reports that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, following a court order, issued a supplemental environmental impact statement on Thursday for public comment. Journalist Mary Ann Bragg notes that despite the renewed effort to fix the environmental impact statement, the 16-year-old project’s fate remains in question if not outright decided, even among those who previously supported it. “It is not on our radar,” said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Offshore Wind Director William White. “We do not believe that Cape Wind is a project that is moving forward.”
And lastly, big kudos and congratulations to our good friends at Columbia Gas whose parent company, NiSource, Inc., was (for the sixth consecutive year) designated as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Wicked Local Westborough reports that Ethisphere honors those companies who recognize their role in society to influence and drive positive change, consider the impact of their actions on their employees, investors, customers and other key stakeholders and use their values and culture as an underpinning to the decisions they make every day.
Have a great weekend.
Natural Gas/Pipeline
Major Natural Gas Leak Contained In Downtown Providence, Rhode Island Public Radio
Rehoboth to Vote April 3 on Gas Compressor Station, ecoRI news
‘It looks like a tornado went through:’ Danvers residents upset over pipeline work, My Fox Boston
Maryland lawmakers vote to ban fracking, The Hill
Maryland Ban Shows Fracking is Not a Partisan Issue, Common Dreams
Report shows Pennsylvania fracking companies paying few fines for environmental infractions, PGH City Paper
Eversource Energy spending $50M this year on pipe replacement in Connecticut, New Haven Register
Renewable Energy
Cape Wind project review to be revised, Cape Cod Times
State approves solar array that will be Vermont’s largest, vtdigger.org
Solar Power Is White-Hot, Generating Energy, Jobs And Savings, Hartford Courant
Maine business equips sheds with solar panels for better energy returns, Press Herald
Massachusetts extends solar incentive program, Daily Energy Insider
Biomass Company Asks to Change Terms of State Subsidy, MainePublic.org
State Officials Brief NE Roundtable on Renewables Plans, RTO Insider
75 US mayors won’t enforce climate policy rollback, Curbed
Trump’s climate change rule order gets chilly reaction in RI, The Providence Journal
Solar Facility to Save Massachusetts City $2.6M Over 20 Years, Energy Manager Today
Two New Companies Vie for Remaining Wind Farm Leases, The Vineyard Gazette
National Grid unveils semi-transparent Worcester solar panels, Worcester Business Journal
Solar awning gives power boost to Worcester’s energy-saving strategy, Worcester Telegram
GE to develop 13 solar projects in northeast US, Energy Central
German offshore output soars, reNews
New solar awning project unveiled at Sustainability Hub, Clark University News Hub
Biomass company says it paid aggrieved loggers, wants to rework subsidy, Bangor Daily News
Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency Upgrades at Rhode Island College Are Expected to Save $5.1 Million, Energy Manager Today
Trump wants to cut programs that help buildings save energy. This new study says they work, Washington Post
Study: Efficiency programs return results — but not in all buildings, Utility Dive
Vermont House Passes Backup Bill on Energy Efficient Appliances, Energy Manager Today
Medford Tech partners with Mass Clean Energy Center, Wicked Local Medford
Nuclear
Senator supports moving spent nuclear fuel from Cape region, Cape Cod Times
State gives tribes role in Vermont Yankee sale, Brattleboro Reformer
State wants more information on site contamination, Brattleboro Reformer
Nuke plant owner: Watchdog group’s claims ‘completely false’, The Daily News of Newburyport
Nuclear Power Suffers Major Blow With Westinghouse Bankruptcy, Common Dreams
Nuclear power is dying. Can radical innovation save it?, Vox
Japanese court rules for utility and lets nuclear reactors restart, The Boston Globe
Vt. Fears Covering Nuclear Cost, Valley News
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
National Grid proposes 1,200-megawatt New England project, Penn Energy
Northern Pass opponents say they’ve hoped for something like the National Grid plan, Concord Monitor
National Grid dives into Quebec to New England energy fray, Foster’s Daily Democrat
Power Line Plan Includes Haverhill, Valley News
PUC short circuits Eversource deal to buy power tied to Northern Pass, The Union Leader
4 Cape towns lose appeal of Eversource herbicide plan, Cape Cod Times
National Grid launching first of its kind program in Clifton Park, WRGB
Eversource puts New Hampshire power fleet up for sale, Utility Dive
NiSource Inc. designated most ethical company, Wicked Local Westborough
At the grid-edge: Utilities look beyond traditional infrastructure to manage new technologies, Utility Dive
What Trump Misses About Energy Jobs In America, Rhode Island Public Radio
No big impact expected in Mass. after Trump energy order, Berkshire Eagle
As loggers get stiffed, Maine learns a lesson about propping up struggling industries, Bangor Daily News
Agawam power plant operators sentenced to pay more than $7M, Penn Energy
Maine man charged again with stealing electricity for home, Penn Energy
A Low-Tech Approach To Energy Storage: Molten Metals, WBUR
Editorial/Opinion
Michael Durand: Eversource is investing in an improved system, Berkshire Eagle
John Stoehr: State’s energy debate needs to evolve, CT Post
Expanding Wood Heat in New England, Biomass Magazine
Letter: Emulate spider in protecting environment, Berkshire Eagle
We all will benefit from more solar power, Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel
Let’s save solar, The Union Leader