You bought Russian gas | Vineyard Wind Lights Fuse | Millstone Debate Heats Up
Happy Friday afternoon. Based on the amount of stories we found, there doesn’t appear to be a usual summertime shortage of energy news.
Here are a few of interest:
Trump Was Asked About a Russian Gas Shipment To Boston. Here’s What That Tells Us About Energy in New England, WGBH — At Monday’s press conference in Helsinki, President Trump faced a question about a shipment of Russian liquefied natural gas that was sent to Boston in January. The question came from a Russian journalist who pointed out, through an interpreter, that Trump has been critical of a pipeline project that allows Germany to buy gas from Russia. Trump has said it makes Europe a hostage of Russia. “You suggested that you could free Europe from this by supplying American LNG,” the Russian journalist said. He went on to question whether the United States could provide LNG or liquefied natural gas as an alternative. “As far as I know U.S. had to buy … Russian gas for Boston.”
Power line plan lights fuse under Yarmouth residents, Cape Cod Times — A plan by offshore power company Vineyard Wind to bring a high-wattage cable through Lewis Bay and onshore in West Yarmouth is energizing residents, who say that no amount of compensation is worth the damage the project could potentially inflict. “This is not about money,” West Yarmouth resident David Bernstein said at Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, which was devoted primarily to public comment on the project. “I don’t care if Vineyard Wind gives $10 million a year to the town of Yarmouth. If the bay is killed, it is killed.”
Millstone Power Station debate heats up, The Day — Whether you fear Millstone Power Station could shutter within a few years and create an economic and energy grid crisis, or believe plant owner Dominion Energy is making empty threats about closing before its licenses expire, state regulators want to hear from you…Millstone’s participation in the zero-carbon auction follows years of pushing from Dominion and lawmakers, who are concerned that cheaper, abundantly available natural gas could threaten the plant’s survival in the wholesale energy market.
That’s the quick recap for this week. There are a lot more news items and opinions below. Enjoy and have a great weekend.
Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling
LaFleur: FERC unlikely to act on pipeline review before Powelson exit, Utility Dive
Final round of hearings for Burrillville power plant will resume this week, Breeze Publications
Declining Battery Storage Costs Raise Questions About the Role of Natural Gas, Renewable Energy World
Renewables/Climate Change/RGGI
Climate activist groups blast Mass. House energy bill for ‘paltry’ renewable standard, MassLive
On a Mission to Cut Electricity Rates, Ontario’s Ford Says He Will Cancel Wind, Solar Contracts, Renewable Energy World
Environmental advocates push SouthCoast as renewable energy hub, South Coast Today
Report: Bay State can do more in green energy, The Reminder
FuelCell Energy Will Add 100 Jobs In Torrington, Double Annual Energy Production, Hartford Courant
NY Sets Carbon Pricing Timeline, Reviews Progress, RTO Insider
Wind
2 more turbines slated for Berkshire Wind Power project on Brodie Mountain, Berkshire Eagle
Offshore wind farms are producing hundreds of jobs in R.I., Providence Business Journal
Lidar lights up Ocean Wind, renews
Scientists, offshore wind developer look to minimize marine life impacts, The Day via National Wind Watch
LePage’s lawyers seek dismissal of challenge to order halting wind permits, Press Herald
Power line plan lights fuse under Yarmouth residents, Cape Cod Times
Decade in, Savoy wind project reaches pivotal point, Berkshire Eagle
More Energy Storage Looming For Wind Power, CleanTechnica
Wind Turbines to See ‘Unprecedented’ Growth in Size and Capacity, Greentech Media
Offshore wind developer ramps up work on 3 more wind farms, AP News
Offshore Wind Projects’ Impact On Fishing Grounds Discussed, The Dispatch
Solar
French power company plans 20-acre solar farm in Westhampton, Daily Hampshire Gazette
Massachusetts Plugs Into the Sun for More Power, EcoRI
Tribe Seeks Energy Sovereignty With Solar Microgrid, Eco-Village & Utility, Microgrid Knowledge
It was once a superfund site, now it’s a solar farm, NJ Spotlight
Success of North Adams solar array ‘a good problem to have,‘ Berkshire Eagle
Brunswick residents appeal town’s assessment on solar panels, Portland Press Herald
Report: CT solar has grown 53% per year, Hartford Business Journal
Energy Efficiency/Storage
Rise of net zero energy homes could boost utility-led community solar, Utility Dive
Steps New York Must Take to Meet its Energy Efficiency Goals, nrdc.org
Grid resiliency and energy storage bill passes Massachusetts House, MassLive
Home Energy Storage System Installations Hit Record High In US, CleanTechnica
Massachusetts House approves study of mobile storage as grid resilience tool, Utility Dive
EVs
Con Edison and National Grid Want to Help You Buy an Electric Car, Greentech Media
Another Study Argues Electric Cars Are Bad for the Environment. It’s Demonstrably False, Greentech Media
Martha’s Vineyard Gets Charged Up By BYD Electric Buses, Inside EVs
Electric Cars Seen Imperiling U.S. Jobs by a Rare Trump Backer, Bloomberg
Nuclear
Second company investing in nuclear technology in N.B., Global News
FEMA report: Seabrook nuclear plant’s evacuation plans OK, Newburyport Daily News
Making nuclear energy safer and more affordable, MIT News
House Committee advances two nuclear energy bills, Daily Energy Insider
Next-gen Nukes, Grist.com
Millstone Power Station debate heats up, The Day
Public airs concerns over Oyster Creek closing, storage, Press of Atlantic City
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
FERC OKs help for Mystic plants, CommonWealth Magazine
Mass. lawmakers wrap up work on energy legislation, Boston Globe
Eversource asks regulators to reconsider Northern Pass transmission project, gas pipeline, Utility Dive
Dominion Energy Plans $1.5 Billion Power Plant Sale, Bloomberg
Three law firms team up for class-action suit against CMP for high bills, Bangor Daily News
Meeting on transmission line project draws a crowd, Daily Bulldog
National Grid requesting 19-percent rate increase in R.I., Providence Journal
As technology upends grid fundamentals, is load forecasting a crapshoot?, Utility Dive
Enemies line up to fight power-line project through Maine, Boston Globe
South Portland residents balk at CMP plan to expand substation, Portland Press Herald
MMWEC Retires Bonds; Reduces Outstanding Project Debt to Just $7 Million, Electric Energy Online
New York Utilities: We Believe Blockchain Is ‘Transformative,’ Greentech Media
The Cost of Preventing Baseload Retirements, Report by the Brattle Group on the DOE Memorandum
Editorial/Opinion
A fracking ban is hypocritical, CommonWealth Magazine
Planned transmission key to offshore wind race, CommonWealth Magazine
A crucial next step for Mass. clean energy, Boston Globe
Electricity trick or treat?, CommonWealth Magazine
National Grid explains its lockout, CommonWealth Magazine
Massachusetts needs to look at better energy sources, Worcester Telegram
Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard, CommonWealth Magazine
Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard II, CommonWealth Magazine
‘Yes’ on windmill ordinance, Sun Journal
Massachusetts residents pay the highest average retail price for power in the continental US, Boston Globe
NorthStar is the best hope for VY decommissioning, by Dan Jeffries, Keene Sentinel
Opposing the Granite Bridge Pipeline, New Hampshire Union Leader
Those who live near Seabrook nuke plant better know evacuation plan, Seacoastonline.com
Jamie Sayen: The truth about mega-biomass, Concord Monitor
Northeast Energy News 