New Hampshire enters the windy race at sea

New Hampshire may soon join the handful of New England states actively seeking to develop offshore wind energy.

On January 2, Governor Chris Sununu sent a letter to Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director of the Office of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), asking the agency to create an intergovernmental working group on offshore renewable energies. The move is the first step in a multi-year process.

"The task force will be the same as in other states," Matthew Mailloux, energy advisor for New Hampshire's Strategic Initiatives office, said in an email.

"Its goal is to facilitate coordination with federal and New Hampshire stakeholders to determine the feasibility of offshore wind energy in federal waters off the coast of New Hampshire. This is a preliminary step in a long process before any decision, "he said.

A group of legislators from the New Hampshire Senate and House of Representatives tabled a joint resolution for the 2019 Legislative Session "supporting wind energy development efforts off the coast of New Hampshire" and urging Governor Sununu to ask the BOEM to create the offshore wind task Obligate.

The resolution noted that New Hampshire had committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, but "has not yet developed a plan to achieve this goal. ".

BOEM is closed as a result of the partial closure of the US federal government. New Hampshire officials will have to wait before receiving a response from BOEM. The shutdown has already delayed two public meetings for the Vineyard Wind Project, planned off Mbadachusetts, as previously reported by GTM.

The opportunity in New Hampshire

Will Governor Sununu's letter to BOEM incite project developers to be interested in New Hampshire?

"It was actually kind of a surprise to see the governor ask for the constitution of this task force," said Francis Pullaro, executive director of RENEW Northeast, a non-profit organization, in an interview.

"The industry has been very focused on the southern New England states because there are recent leases and leases," he said. "But there is no reason that all the coastal states of New England can not take advantage of this technology."

Proponents of active projects in the North Atlantic region have so far focused their attention on states such as Mbadachusetts, New York and New Jersey, which have announced ambitious deployment targets. Offshore wind turbines.

The record auction organized by BOEM last month for leased areas off Mbadachusetts, neighboring southern New Hampshire, was without a doubt an alarm bell for New Hampshire officials.

This does not mean that state decision-makers are unaware of the offshore wind potential of New Hampshire. A 10-year state energy strategy released in September 2014 estimated offshore wind potential in New Hampshire at nearly 3,500 megawatts.

The joint resolution of state legislators cited a 2015 report by the bipartisan New Hampshire Legislative Study Committee that "wind resources off the coast of New Hampshire can generate significant amounts of water. 39 "electricity" and "the development of offshore wind can generate economic activity in Portsmouth Harbor".

Pullaro found that Portsmouth was no stranger to the development of wind energy, as components intended for onshore wind power projects built in northern New England were routed through the deep-water port.

Regional cooperation on offshore wind development

As New Hampshire does not have a significant electrical charge, there is potential, according to Mr. Pullaro, for the sale of electricity generated by offshore wind projects in Mbadachusetts, Connecticut or even New York.

"For these projects to really make sense," he said, "the New England states need to work together, especially the northern New England states, where demand for electricity is low. "

Offshore wind projects must be built on a large scale to be profitable. That's why it's important for New Hampshire to partner with its neighbors, while recognizing that they will want to pursue their own interests and local economic development, according to Pullaro.

"For agreements on partial buyers to grow," he said, "they really have to work with other New England states."