First Wind Company Aiming to Send Rhode Island Rates Through the Roof
Deepwater deal faces federal complaint
A Newport resident filed a complaint with a federal agency last week charging that electricity generated at a wind farm off Block Island’s southern coast would be too expensive, a burden that would unfairly fall on mainland ratepayers.
The agreement that would allow Deepwater Wind to sell its power to National Grid also violates federal laws by giving one company exclusive rights to develop wind farms in state waters, says the complaint by Ben Riggs.
“The result is a project that will charge rates that are nearly double that of Cape Wind, and will double again over 20 years,” said Riggs.
Jeff Grybowski, Chief Administrative Officer of Deepwater Wind, called Riggs’ complaint frivolous. “He has long been a project opponent,” Grybowski said. “Based on his complaint, he seems to oppose any energy source that does not pollute our air by burning fossil fuels. We are very confident that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will reject his complaint. In fact, it appears that he filed at least one previous complaint with FERC on an unrelated energy issue that was rejected. We are moving full steam ahead on both our wind farm and transmission projects for Block Island.”
The $204 million, five-turbine Deepwater Wind project would generate up to 30 megawatts, more than Block Island could use. Excess power is to be sold to National Grid and transferred to the mainland on a 15-mile cable that will be laid under the ocean floor. It’s the first of two projects the company plans in the region; the second, much larger project would lie further offshore in federal waters.
The Block Island project just passed a federal regulatory hurdle for its cable and is about to start the state permitting process. It’s the first offshore wind project planned in Rhode Island and a contender to be the first in the country if construction starts next year, as the company has said it plans.
The project would reduce Block Island energy costs, which are currently almost eight times those in the rest of Rhode Island. But at a starting price of 24.4 cents per kilowatt hour and annual increases of 3.5 percent, its power would start off almost three times more expensive than the conventional sources where National Grid buys most of its power. The net effect would be a roughly 2 percent increase for mainland ratepayers as soon as the wind farm goes online, with more increases to follow.
Continue reading in The Block Island Times.
By the way:
ENRON is not dead - you just can't see it with so many of its faces planted firmly in the public trough:
Christopher Wissemann
Wissemann is Chief Operating Officer of Deepwater Wind Holdings. Wissemann manages the company’s development activities, planning and strategy. He founded Winergy Power, one of Deepwater Wind’s predecessors, and was the primary architect of the deep water — beyond visual impact — strategy. Wisseman’s engineering background has been important in determining that technology could be utilized to find a more acceptable solution than shallow water foundations that force projects to be near shore. Wissemann has pursued a career in alternative and renewable energy that spanned 25 years including positions ranging from engineering to business development to chief operating officer. His career in energy has included positions at companies from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 500 firms, including Turner Construction, Energy Investment, ENRON and Northern Power Systems. Wissemann’s focus has been on non-traditional power development — from solar and wind to cogeneration and independent power production. He is conversant in technical aspects of power generation technologies as well as economics, permitting and finance. He has particularly focused on conforming implementation and contract structures of non-traditional power projects to fit within traditional project finance standard. He has negotiated and implemented dozens of long-term contacts with utilities and customers — both for power generation and efficiency-derived capacity. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Energy Studies from Brown University.
http://www.riedc.com/news/2009/03/commission-brings-local-and-regio...
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Comment
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Comment by Kathy Sherman on May 29, 2013 at 2:23am
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Both Deepwater Wind and Siemans have said that their 6 MW turbine is made for far offshore where noise and visual impact are less of a consideration. So why are they.putting the largest.turbines yet deployed in state-waters - much, much closer than the Crown Estates allows in the UK and much, much closer than the few 5 MW plus class has ever been sited? The avian impacts, the interference with recreational activities, etc. are much greater and the wind/other climate factors that sound propagation are much more complex there due to effects. The acoustic study indicated that they could not abide by what the SAMP whatever wanted for limits, especially for low frequency or for monitoring. There is no real world data on the turbine's acoustics yet anyhow, because the certifications are recent, but its sound power is higher even than Falmouth MA's V82s. The modeling shows sound dropping to just about audible at the beach. The only good news is that I don' t think that the full-time residents on that end of the island will be downwind in the stronger winds from Sept. to May.
This story was mixed, but at least some, such as the National Park Service are raising questions.
http://m.golocalprov.com/news/deepwater-wind-still-stalled-after-5-...
And Naragansett is too.
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Comment by Donna Amrita Davidge on September 1, 2012 at 4:40pm
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thanks Brad..I had a feeling it was you! even asked the woman " Was it Brad Blake?" but she did not know..any press is a help..thank you as always! your comments as we know are right on and true..people JUST don't know...
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Comment by Barbara Durkin on September 1, 2012 at 3:40pm
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Great post, LI.
ENRON Managing Director is DeepWater Wind's Board of Managers-
Brian Redmond
Founder of Paragon Energy Holdings LLC; former President of Houston Pipe Line Company and President of Louisiana Resource Company, Managing Director of Enron, and Executive Director of UBS Warburg Energy.
Indeed DeepWater Wind was formed by First Wind. They are seeking control of US Ports that the government is granting them.
First Wind subsidiary IVPC is reported connected to the Italian Mafia. The group is said by AntiMafia prosecutors to build wind projects that fail to function, yet developers continue to collect public subsidies, and seven IVPC wind projects were seized in Operation, "Gone with the Wind". The investigations into wind fraud have evolved to the largest assest seizure in Mafia history, $1.9 bn, from "Lord of the Wind's, Vito Nicastri.
Director of IVPC Oreste Vigorito was arrested for wind fraud and has been indicted by the judge in Italy, July 2012.
It's very troubling that the EcoMafia is most active specifically where IVPC projects exist in Southern Italy, Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Sicilia.Representing Cape Wind and IVPC--Watson Faley & Williams project finance page 9, IVPC.Update, Oreste Vigorito IVPC, July 06, 2012 to answer to forgery and abuse of office chargesCrotone Province and Provincewind power, judgement Misiti. Acquitted Ferraro the two former regional officials were under investigation in connection with the inquiry into the Park of carafe. A process also has two private companies manager.The judge in the preliminary hearing of the Court of Catanzaro, Antonio Rizzuto, he returned to the former official of the Department of productive activities in the region, Carmelo Misiti, and the legal representatives of the companies Ivpc Ivpc Power3, Power4 and Gianpietro Sanseverino and Oreste Vigorito, as part of its inquiry into the construction of the wind farm of carafe. Acquitted, on the other hand, the other institution's official involved in the investigation, Joseph Ferraro.The three defendants, which you must submit before the judge the next November 30, must respond in various ways of forgery and abuse of Office. According to prosecutors, the wind park's Jug was made despite the negative opinion delivered by the Municipal Council. Some of the towers were also made less than 500 metres from dwellings, violating as prescribed by law. The investigation was opened in 2006 and after being passed by several judges came to the pm Charles Villani who last September, has issued a notification that the end of investigations and put forward the request for indictment. The Park was inaugurated in November 2008.07/06/2012 18:20 © riproduzione riservata.
http://www.corrieredellacalabria.it/stories/Crotone%20e%20Provincia...
Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicilia IVPC Projects:
http://www.terna.it/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6s18eM%2FkD3A%3D&...
Page 20, below in capitals from the link just above:6 NAPOLI NNAPVCRN VENT 1 VENT 1 PRODUZIONE R 150 ENEL DISTRIBUZIONE CALABRIA ISOLA CAPO RIZZUTO CROTONECampania, Puglia, Calabria and SiciliaDirty Business--Eco-mafia Report since 1994. This year ’s version states that almost 26,000 ecological crimes were committed in Italy in 2008, amounting to 71 offences every day. Nearly half the crimes took place in the Campania, Calabria, Sicily and Puglia regions, all of which are known mafia strongholds. [cut] continue reading:Mafia making billions from environmental destruction
The Italian mafia is making billions from carrying out wanton destruction of the environment, a report has found.
The most affected regions were Campania, Calabria, Sicily and Puglia, which are home to Italy's four distinct mafia organisationsEnvironmental assessments and 21E Hazardous waste inspections should be conducted where First Wind and subsidiaries wind projects exist.DeepWater Wind is the feds preferred developer for a subsea cable to run from RI to Long Island to return to MA with a substation in MA--(at $6 million per mile cost)-guess who's expected to pay for this?!?Thanks for all your hard work and for exposing the wind frauds!Barbara Durkin
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Comment by Brad Blake on September 1, 2012 at 2:19pm
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Donna, your Island Falls person likely is referring to the WLBZ (Channel 2) piece in which I gave several rebuttals to First Wind in a story about the Blue Skies East project (Bull Hill in Hancock County). http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/212979/3/Bull-Hill-wind-project-n... Of course, they edited out the best parts. In my comments about the road building using existing logging roads, they edited out the beginning of my comment which was "This is a common lie from First Wind and other wind site developers."
They also dropped the segment where First Wind had bragged about all the taxes they pay and the amount of community benefits given beyond what they are required to do. The reporter was blown away by my pointing out the PTC and the TIF and when I stated the community benefits are more like a bribe to gain good will from unsuspecting groups like snowmobile clubs. I then reached into my pocket, pulled out a penny, held it up to the camera and stated that First Wind is making so much money off taxpayer subsidies that what they are bragging about is like me giving a penny to each of the few hundred residents who might benefit. I guess the editors decided that might be a bit too controversial. The editing ended up with a boring piece, actually.
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when will this corruption get blown open and does anyone know who it was on local TV today speaking against FW? Someone in Island falls saw it but did not know who it was? good some hegative bites are getting through.
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Comment by Long Islander on September 1, 2012 at 10:58am
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When First Wind executive Kurt Adams was questioned by the legislature's Education Committee at his hearing after Governor Baldacci nominated him for a UMS board seat, objections were raised that Adams had a conflict of interest in that the University was investing in wind power.
As written in the Bangor Daily News on 8/11/10:
"Adams said he does not see a conflict because First Wind is “a terrestrial wind power company” and the university proposal is a pilot project to develop and test new equipment and technologies, not generate power in competition with First Wind or any other power company".
http://bangordailynews.com/2010/08/11/news/expuc-chief-clears-hurdl...
Meanwhile, Deepwater Wind is a First Wind company and on its own website proclaims itself as "
the U.S. leader in offshore wind power".
Again, First Wind and Deepwater Wind are in essence the same company:
Note that on the last link above, on page F-43 it states that First Wind "has significant influence over Deepwater"Was Kurt Adams under oath when he disavowed any connection to offshore wind?
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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