MCLE New England
10 Winter Place, Boston, MA 02108
The Future of Offshore Wind
Racing Towards the Horizon
with Keynote from Governor Baker
It has been a decade since Cape Wind. The calculus for offshore wind has changed dramatically. Prices per kilowatt-hour are a fraction. Turbines are four times as powerful. Competition is vigorous. Stakeholders have progressed negotiating the ocean’s many shared uses.
In 2016, MA led the nation with a 1,600 MW procurement goal. Since then, states along the eastern seaboard have been raising the bar, including NY’s recent goal of 9,000 MW. For MA, stakes are high. Once a first mover, our leadership may be eroding. Supply chain, construction, and maintenance companies are scanning the horizon for the best states to call home. How do we keep ourselves on the forefront and reap the many dividends from economic development and emissions reductions? What is the role for policy?
Join the Environmental League of Massachusetts for a timely discussion of the questions and opportunities at the heart of our offshore wind future.
Welcome: Elizabeth Henry, President Environmental League of Massachusetts
Keynote: Governor Baker
Panel 1: The Opportunity.
In six ocean lease areas off the MA coast, there is enough wind to power half our state or a quarter of New England. Four companies have secured these leases: Vineyard Wind, Ørsted, Mayflower Wind and Equinor. Hear why they fought for the right to lease these parcels, how they hope to build out their areas, and their views on challenges and opportunities ahead.
Legislative Lighting Round! A number of bills have been filed in the state legislature to drive offshore wind forward. ELM’s Director of Energy Policy Eric Wilkinson shares the top-lines in plain English.
Panel 2: What will it take to lead the nation?
Public officials and offshore wind thought leaders react to these potential future policy scenarios. They also add perspectives and color to key issues, including: transmission, grid interconnection, fishing, whales, marine life, birds, and what is driving success in Europe.
Panelists include:
Representative Tom Golden, Chair of Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
Joe Martens, Director, New York Offshore Wind Alliance
Catherine Bowes, Program Director Offshore Wind, National Wildlife Federation
Theodore Paradise, SVP Transmission Strategy & Counsel, Anbaric
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