Energy News for week ending February 22, 2019

MA picks up the tab| Plant reuse | Lantern

Happy Friday afternoon energy friends.

According to CommonWealth Magazine, “The road has been cleared of significant hurdles for the New England Clean Energy Connect project to bring clean hydropower from Quebec to Massachusetts, and Maine will get a bevy of economic and environmental benefits for hosting the lines that will deliver the energy. New Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that she is now behind the project that Massachusetts is relying on and has agreed to allow the project to advance in the federal and state approval process with conditions intended for the benefit of Mainers…The governor’s office also touted the environmental benefits of the settlement, saying it will substantially reduce the state’s carbon footprint, control energy costs, and create jobs for Mainers. ‘And it will cost Maine ratepayers nothing,’ Mills said Thursday. ‘Massachusetts will foot the bill.’”

I’ve always believed that if we want to be good stewards of energy generation, we need to look at the full lifecycle of a plant and its environs – regardless of its fuel source. With coal and nuclear power plants retiring in large numbers, the sites are offering multiple opportunities for redevelopment. Some come with controversy – as in the old Edison plant in South Boston (Boston Globe). Others could remain part of the industry – such as New Jersey where, “Orsted alerted mariners last month that its 170-foot surveying vessel will study waters off Atlantic County, and the path runs near both B.L. England in Upper Township and the Oyster Creek Generating Station in Forked River. Orsted spokeswoman Lauren Burm confirmed the company is eyeing the two plants as a way to connect its turbines to the energy grid.” (Press of Atlantic City). And in Vermont, according to a story in Seven Days, the plan for an old coal plant in Burlington includes, “…filling in the basement of the old structure and removing the brick exterior. It would leave in place a steel skeleton. The open-air space would include public restrooms and space for vendors and concerts. Additional walkways, public art, a performance venue, a viewing deck or outdoor areas could also be added to the project in the future, pending additional funding.” Considering the mess that is there now and is blocking the view of the lake, this is some seriously good news.

For our last feature this week, we leave the Northeast and head to Europe. Since, we just mentioned art where there once was energy, we now bring you energy as art. From Wired UK, “From the outside, the newly upgraded Länsisalmi power substation, in southern Finland, looks like an art installation; behind its glass walls, two 400kV transformers constantly work to distribute electricity to 800,000 residents in the cities of Helsinki and Vantaa. Architect Bratislav Toskovic, from Helsinki-based Parviainen, was in charge of the redesign. ‘The main inspiration was electricity, and the visual element of light,’ he says. ‘I wanted to convert concrete structures into lanterns.’ To achieve that, he clad the substation’s three buildings with glazed glass panels – detached from the building’s walls by 60cm – and lined them with LED lights, which at night transform the complex into a glowing beacon. As the plant is visible from a major highway, Toskovic had the idea that it could be a landmark.”

That’s the recap for this week. Enjoy the news below and have a wonderful weekend!

Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling

Gas companies could face hefty fines for service loss, Eagle Tribune

Natural gas hookups off limits in more Mass. Towns, Boston Business Journal

Toll from natural gas disaster in Merrimack Valley passes $1 billion, Boston Globe

New England electric grid vulnerable to natural gas shortages, ISO-NE head says, The News-Times

In bitter cold, gas barge off Massachusetts helped keep down New England energy prices, Hartford Courant

Killingly power plant plans push forward, The Bulletin

Weymouth Compressor Station Opponents To Meet With State Officials, WBUR

April ballot in Rehoboth includes nonbinding question on natural gas lines, Sun Chronicle

National Grid searches for source of natural gas leak in Providence, WJAR

Renewables/Climate Change/RGGI