Representatives of an interest eyeing Westport as a possible landing site for power generated by offshore turbines will meet with town officials next month to talk in specific terms about what their …
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Representatives of an interest eyeing Westport as a possible landing site for power generated by offshore turbines will meet with town officials next month to talk in specific terms about what their plans are and how they affect the town.
At least, that’s the hope after scheduling the Thursday, Feb. 20 visit with Vineyard Offshore representatives, said Jake McGuigan, chairman of the Westport Offshore Wind Advisory Committee.
“We’ve had pretty open discussions on this and hopefully in February when they show up, they will be willing to take questions.”
Vineyard Ocean Energy has listed Westport and New London, Ct., as the two possible landings for cables that would be fed by its proposed 160-turbine, 1,200 megawatt farm south of Martha's Vineyard.
According to Vineyard Northeast’s plan, the Westport cables — up two two high voltage DC cable bundles or up to three high voltage DC bundles — would make landfall at Horseneck Beach, and would then be routed under the Westport River to the Route 88 corridor. Depending on the cables’ configuration, the power could then be routed to a new electric substation in Westport before making onto the grid in Somerset or Fall River.
McGuigan said Thursday that the meeting comes amidst growing uncertainty over Westport's place in the project and indeed, the short and long-term viability of offshore wind power under the new federal administration.
President Donald Trump "has taken a pretty vocal stance in his opposition to offshore wind," McGuigan said, and no one yet knows how any executive orders the president might sign will impact the plan Westport is watching.
"In my discussions with Vineyard Offshore" officials, he said, "they don't know."
Another uncertainty over the project itself is more immediate, he said.
The complex financial deals that would see wind-generated power come ashore include the "uptake" of the generated power by states. Previously, Massachusetts bid on and agreed to take 800 of the project's 1,200 megawatts, with Connecticut expected to agree to accept the remaining 400. But just before Christmas, the state's governor rejected those 400, criticizing the offshore industry in interviews with media in that state, McGuigan said.
McGuigan said it is his understanding that the entire 1,200 watts will have to go back out to bid.
"So that buys us some time" to study the issue, he said.
"It could be a six-month delay. And again, when Vineyard Offshore comes in next month, hopefully they can provide more details."