GOV. NED LAMONT of Connecticut is continuing to sound a more cautious tone than Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts when it comes to offshore wind.
Both governors represent northeastern states that are short on energy resources. Both states are groundbreakers with offshore wind – Massachusetts with Vineyard Wind 1 and Connecticut partnering with Rhode Island on Revolution Wind. And both states, along with Rhode Island, participated over the last year in a major three-state procurement for offshore wind.
In September, Healey announced she was going all in on offshore wind, striking deals with three offshore wind developers for roughly a fifth of the state’s electricity needs. She said the deals would help make Massachusetts more energy independent, lower electricity costs, and help foster a new industry in Massachusetts.
Lamont, by contrast, is taking what he describes as a wait-and-see approach with offshore wind. He chose not to participate in the three-state procurement, which left a gaping, possibly fatal, 400-megawatt hole in one of the projects. But he hasn’t ruled out getting back into the deal if the final negotiations with the developers leads to an attractive price.
“We’re going to see what that price is,” said Lamont Wednesday on a Connecticut radio talk show. “But I”m very conscious about affordability. I do think the price of wind power could go down over time, starting with the fact that interest rates are going down. So I have a bit of wait-and-see on that one.”
Yet Lamont indicated he thought the ultimate price that’s negotiated won’t be that attractive. “I think it’s high, but that’s what they’re negotiating,” he said, referring to Massachusetts. “I’m very concerned about the cost of electricity. I know what it means for the consumer. I’ve heard that loud and clear. That’s why I’m very cautious about entering into any contracts for high-priced, let’s say wind, in this case.”
Electricity became a hot-button issue in Connecticut over the summer months when temperatures rose, air conditioning became a constant, and bills soared. “Fortunately, that’s behind us now,” Lamont said on the radio show.
Another factor driving up electricity bills was the state’s deal to purchase roughly half of the output of the Millstone Nuclear Station at nearly 5 cents a kilowatt hour. “Sometimes that makes us money,” he said. “Sometimes that’s losing us money, depending on the price of natural gas.” Over the summer, the Millstone deal cost Connecticut customers money.
Lamont said state ratepayers are paying about 10 cents a kilowatt hour for the power from Revolution Wind, which is still under construction. He didn’t balk at that price, suggesting that he believes the prices emerging from the tri-state procurement will be higher.
The governor called high electricity prices the state’s “Achilles heel” when it comes to recruiting businesses to locate in Connecticut. He said he has been urged to use federal funds or tax dollars to reduce the size of electricity bills, but he sees that as a short-term, not a long-term, solution.
Lamont said a long-term solution hinges on reducing energy demand in Connecticut through aggressive energy efficiency efforts and increasing the supply of energy. “We need more energy sources. I’m working with the Department of Energy to get more generating here,” he said
The governor didn’t say what kind of generating plant he was thinking of. A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection did not return phone calls.
The post Lamont, Healey take different approaches on offshore wind appeared first on CommonWealth Beacon.