Cape Wind, which will comprise 130 wind turbines, will lie about 8 kilometres from the nearest shore, on the mainland, and around 22 kilometres from Nantucket Island. Cape Wind will be rated to produce up to 468 MW of wind power as each wind turbine will produce up to 3.6 MW. Maximum expected production will be 454 MW, while the installation is expected to have an average output of 170 MW (the equivalent of that produced by a medium-size coal-fired plant), which is almost 75% of the 230 MW average electricity demand for Cape Cod and the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
The wind farm developer, Cape Wind Associates, also calculates that the wind farm will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of taking 175,000 cars off the road and provide 1,000 construction jobs.
The international energy delivery company, National Grid, which provides electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), is negotiating a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Cape Wind Associates for the electricity produced by the 468-MW wind farm.
“We congratulate Cape Wind on the approval of its project. Secretary Salazar's decision marks an historic step forward for energy policy in the United States. This bold step by the Obama administration sends a signal that the United States is serious about securing its energy future and is willing to take action to make that happen,” said Tom King, President of National Grid, in a statement on the historic decision on the Cape Wind project.
National Grid is a long-time advocate for the development of renewable energy sources as a means to mitigate climate change, increase domestic energy supplies, and benefit customers and communities by providing a cleaner, more secure energy future. “That is why we have been working to negotiate a power purchase agreement with Cape Wind,” said King, adding: “Our negotiations are going very well and we are optimistic that we will have more to say about our progress in the near future”.
Energy attorney, Greg Chafee, has been following the Cape Wind story closely. "After a nearly decade-long debate over construction of this 130 turbine wind farm, the Federal green light is a catalyst that may lead the way for more offshore wind project development along the East Coast,” he said.
“Cape Wind is an important link in the chain of events that is gradually shifting US dependence on traditional fossil fuels towards a more balanced mix that increasingly includes renewable energy sources. Cape Wind will be seen in hindsight as a pioneering project that smoothed the waters for future offshore wind development and a key step in the progression of the US to greater energy independence," concluded Chafee.
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