Cape Wind construction may begin in 2011
Construction on the Cape Wind offshore wind power project could start as early as the fall, according to an announcement Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
The announcement at the Charlestown Navy Yard said the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, which recently set up a task force for offshore wind in Oregon, has approved a construction and operations plan for the 468-megawatt project. The plan is a prerequisite for the project, which would be built off Nantucket Sound and would be the country’s first major offshore wind farm.
The timeframe reported by the developer, Boston-based Cape Wind Associates, suggest the construction could begin in the fall, according to the announcement.
The project, however, lacks financing and must find a buyer for the remaining 50 percent of its power output. Utility National Grid has agreed to buy half of Cape Wind's power at the first-year rate of 18.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, a rate that was approved by the state Department of Public Utilities last November.
Read more in Mass High Tech.
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.