Mr. Matthew Beaton, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

Attn: MEPA Office

Purvi Patel, EEA No. 15787 (Vineyard Wind Connector)

100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900

Boston MA 02114

To Honorable Secretary Beaton:

Thank you for providing this opportunity for me to comment on the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project SDEIR. 

It is has been observed by Anbaric transmission partner that the US has it backwards.  He implies that it is much more costly that, in the US, transmission follows offshore wind leases to developers and their wind projects.  Europe leads with transmission instead. 

Transmission is needed for offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind:

Transmission needed, 3,000 miles:

https://www.windpowerengineering.com/business-news-projects/researc...

From this link above, a clip-

‘New report: U.S. offshore wind proposals will need up to 3,000 miles of offshore transmission’

By Michelle Froese | May 30, 2018

An analysis of U.S. offshore wind developments by Brattle economists shows that state policymakers in the northeastern U.S. are now committed to procure approximately 8,000 MW of offshore wind generation over the next decade.

Cut continue-  

It is unfortunate that $billions in transmission work appears to be following a pattern of crony capitalism.  

‘Top energy regulator tied to bidders for state work’

By SCOTT WALDMAN 06/16/2015 05:21 AM EDT

“ALBANY—As New York’s top energy regulator, Audrey Zibelman is in a position to influence a market worth billions of dollars and help set the policy that governs it.” Cut more/

She recently recused herself, after a question from a newspaper reporter, from a decision that could benefit a separate energy company she’s connected to through a series of overlapping corporate boards and financial backers. The company, Anbaric, has billions of dollars in potential transmission and microgrid projects pending before the state and was founded by her former business partner at Viridity, Edward Krapels. (An Anbaric website describes Viridity as a “collaborator.”)

Cut/continue reading-

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2015/06/top-e...

While political insiders benefit, the public has little assurance that the best quality candidates for offshore wind companies, storage solutions and transmissions, are overlooked.  In fact, there is the appearance that Regulatory Capture is a problem with the wind industry in general.  

While the intent to integrate wind may be at the expense of our energy grid-

“People would’ve started worrying about brownouts,” Elchin Mammadov, analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence said. “This shows that relying on wind, solar and batteries to supply the majority of our power is reckless for energy security.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-06-07/u-k-wind-dro...

“NERC recently identified a significant need for industry focus on the performance and reliability of inverters and inverter-based resources [wind] connected to the bulk power system...”

http://www.tdworld.com/generation-and-renewables/assuring-reliabili...

Appearance of Regulatory Capture & Crony Capitalism-m in the offshore wind sector-

“Matthew Morrissey, former economic development director for New Bedford and the first director of the New Bedford Wind Energy Center.”

[helped] “pass a Massachusetts energy law that would launch a new American offshore wind industry.”

“Now he will head up Deepwater Wind’s Massachusetts operations, as the company prepares to compete for a piece of the action against DONG Energy and Offshore MW.”

http://www.nbedc.org/wind-energy/matt-morrissey-former-wind-energy-...

[Jim] Conroy served as Baker’s campaign manager during the Republican’s successful 2014 race against Democrat Martha Coakley. He joined state government when Baker took office in January 2015 and served as a top adviser, ..”

“Jim Conroy, an experienced political strategist who managed Baker’s 2014 campaign and is a key adviser on his reelection bid, also worked with Vineyard Wind LLC and Central Maine Power Co., helping the companies beat out competitors for what will be two of New England’s biggest energy projects.

Conroy helped Vineyard Wind, a joint venture owned by Connecticut-based Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, to win contracts that would enable a wind farm to be built with as many as 100 turbines spinning about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.”

“On the wind farm effort, Conroy works with Christian Scorzoni of Boston public affairs firm Travaglini, Eisenberg & Kiley LLC, which lobbies on behalf of Vineyard Wind...”

Cut-

RE:  Sole candidate Matt Morrissey AKA Director of Wind Energy Center, New Bedford, VP DeepWater Wind-

“The City Council appointed former councilor Dennis Farias to the position of city clerk Thursday night, with the body voting nine-to-two to accept Farias over Assistant Carver Town Clerk Elizabeth Nichols. Mayor Jon Mitchell last month had expressed concerns on his afternoon radio show that the hiring process was not as open as it could be. Mitchell’s comments prompted At-Large councilor Linda Morad to deliver to a stern rebuke to the mayor Thursday in which she said he had appointed several officials, including Wind Energy Center Director Matt Morrissey, without a public search …”

Stop

Read More: City Council Appoints Former Member, Current Employee, As City Clerk 

http://wbsm.com/city-council-appoints-former-member-current-employe...

Today’s News- 

New York Looks to Europe for Successful Offshore Wind Transmission Models

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https://www.environmentguru.com/pages/elements/element.aspx?id=7717271

8/23/18

“Anbaric Development: Anbaric, a power-line developer, has been trying to benefit from a series of new, state-overseen energy procurements — particularly for offshore wind. The Wakefield firm argues it makes more sense to have separate bids for transmission and for generation, to open up the power line work for these offshore wind farms to competition. Doing so also increases the likelihood that rival wind farm projects can end up sharing the same line to shore. The new energy law gives state officials the authority to separate the bidding, but doesn’t mandate it. “We can compete now,” said Anbaric CEO Ed Krapels, “which is what we were hoping for.” Year-to-date spending: $165,000. Lobbying firms: ML Strategies, Northwind Strategies.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/business/2018/08/2...

Australia’s national energy market is run by a lawyer and climate change activist

Jo Nova Blog

Jo Nova

13 May 2018

No wonder our national electricity grid is in deep. Audrey Zibelman is the CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). The former New York based woman is a lawyer with an MBA who thinks we can change the weather with our power supply. She was appointed in March 2017. Thank Malcolm Turnbull. Apparently in 2016 she was a favourite for the future Team Hillary in the US.

Audrey the activist

Just to make her motivation clear. Her words last year:

“I believe we’re the last generation on earth who can really do something about climate change.“

The manager of our electricity market thinks wind and solar are actually competitive:

And the good thing is that technology has evolved so that we don’t have to worry about sacrificing economics for good environmental policy.”

Notably, what she isn’t dreaming of is cheap electricity:

Her dream is of a grid dominated not by big power suppliers and their fossil-fuel generators, but rather a system of “distributed energy” that delivers better supply security by storing solar and wind power in batteries for later use. She wants a market that better rewards people with rooftop solar panels and other renewables; with incentives for more efficient power use in peak times; that harnesses idle energy, instead of building more large power stations for short periods of peak demand in hotter months.

You might think the Australian national grid should be providing electricity rather than being a tool to reward people for buying uneconomic equipment in the hope of stopping Antarctica from melting. Silly you.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/stopthesethings.com/2018/05/29/the-big...

Anbaric Pushes Offshore Grid Plans

July 22, 2018

Full article.  Please note this is the article in which Anbaric identifies the US has it backwards.  Transmission comes first, see fort 2-3 paragraphs.  

By Michael Kuser

While the U.S. is keen to benefit from the declining costs of developing offshore wind energy, it appears less focused on learning how the industry matured in Europe, where it was pioneered in 1991.

That’s the assessment of two industry experts who, admittedly, have a stake in the issue.

“We see [regulators] focusing on the generation resource and assuming the transmission is going to be there, and not providing for the transmission necessary to get to scale,” said Stephen Conant, partner with Anbaric Development Partners, an independent transmission company.

The U.S. may be late to the game, but East Coast states are moving fast to join in.

CUT IN MY ACTUAL TESTIMONY. CONANT IS ANBARIC PARTNER

Nect excerpt-