Washington, D.C. — Turn Forward Executive Director Hillary Bright issued the following statement after a U.S. District judge granted a preliminary stay allowing construction on Vineyard Wind 1 to resume:
“Today’s ruling in Massachusetts marks the fourth time that a court has allowed one of the five offshore wind projects suspended in December to resume work. This news is likely to be welcomed by East Coast residents still recovering from winter storms and prolonged cold.
Vineyard Wind already produces power from previously installed turbines. Initial readings from New England suggest that it performed very strongly during this weekend’s storm, turning harsh winter winds into critical power supplies that steadily fed the grid even as other sources experienced price spikes and shortages. Offshore wind uses fixed-price contracts.
That performance tracks closely with research demonstrating particularly strong offshore wind power delivery during wintertime when taxed electrical grids are stretched even thinner by high heating demand. It also highlights the need for an ‘everything that works’ energy policy that takes full advantage of the different contributions gained from accessing a variety of energy sources.
Let’s hope this weekend’s strong offshore wind performance was noted by the Administration. As they seek to hold down utility bills and rejuvenate a US manufacturing sector that lost an estimated 10,000 renewable energy jobs last year, clearing the way for offshore wind to take off would help achieve the President’s reliability and affordability objectives.”