Offshore Wind – Page 3 – Global Power Law & Policy

Offshore Wind Farms Are Spinning Up in the US—At Last

Apr 17 2019

By Eric Niller of Wired

On June 1, 2019 the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Massachusetts will shut down, a victim of rising costs and a technology that is struggling to remain economically viable in the United States. But the electricity generated by the aging nuclear station soon will be replaced by another carbon-free source: a fleet of 84 offshore wind turbines rising nearly 650 feet above the ocean’s surface.

In this article from Wired, K&L Gates partner and Practice Group Coordinator for power David Hattery discusses how in recent years, wind turbines and their technologies have become more palatable, and therefore are more accessible, to communities. Because of this, turbines are able to generate more power than ever.

Click here to read the full article.

Next Massachusetts Offshore Wind Solicitation Ready for DPU Review

Apr 09 2019

By Elizabeth C. Crouse and Michael L. O’Neill

On March 27, 2019, Massachusetts’s three electric utilities submitted a draft of their second offshore wind request for proposals (“RFP”) to the state’s Department of Public Utilities (“DPU”) for review and comment. This second solicitation is a follow-up to the initial RFP under Section 83C of Massachusetts’s 2016 renewable energy mandate that directs its utilities to procure 1,600 megawatts (“MW”) of offshore wind nameplate capacity by June 2027.

The initial solicitation in 2017 resulted in the selection of the Vineyard Wind project to enter negotiations with the utilities. The utilities executed power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) totaling 800 MW of offshore wind capacity with Vineyard Wind. DPU is reviewing those PPAs currently. [1]

Even though DPU has not approved the PPAs for the initial solicitation yet, the utilities have moved forward with the second solicitation because Massachusetts law requires that the second solicitation be issued within 24 months of the first solicitation. The second solicitation contemplates procurement of at least 400 MW of offshore wind capacity, although the utilities will consider proposals ranging between 200-800 MW of capacity. According to this draft RFP, the utilities will consider a larger project proposal if it is “likely to produce more economic net benefits to customers based on the evaluation criteria in the RFP.”

Some of the key bidding requirements and evaluation criteria include:

Each bidder must be in possession of development rights for offshore wind generation in a designated federal wind energy area (not closer than 10 miles from an inhabited area) as leased after January 1, 2012;
Each bidder must submit at least one bid of a 400 MW project, or explain why it cannot, and can submit its projects in up to two phases;
Each bidder must propose a generator lead transmission line;
Each proposal for the energy generation and/or associated renewable energy certificates must be less than $84.23 per MW-hour on a nominal levelized basis as calculated based on the first solicitation; and
Proposals will be evaluated on direct contract prices and other costs and benefits, including:
- Direct benefits of any applicable energy storage systems,
- Impacts on Massachusetts’s greenhouse gas emission rates,
- Specific investments in supply chain infrastructure, port facilities, workforce and the Offshore Wind Accelerator Fund, and
- Demonstrated direct benefits to low-income ratepayers.

As proposed, the utilities plan to issue the RFP on May 17, 2019, and expect to receive confidential proposals by August 9, 2019 (with public redacted versions due by August 16, 2019). The utilities plan to select the winner(s) by November 8, 2019, and finalize the PPAs for DPU approval by January 10, 2020.

In comments on the second Section 83C solicitation, several wind developers raised concerns that a timeline that does not permit developers to demonstrate a construction start by the end of 2019 imperils the developers’ ability to qualify for the 12% federal investment tax credit (“ITC”). The production and investment tax credits are currently phasing out for wind, but wind projects that begin construction in accordance with IRS guidance in 2019 may still qualify for the credits at a reduced rate, specifically a 12% ITC or 40% of the maximum production tax credit rate applicable to electricity produced in a relevant year. Many of the commenters indicate that the 12% ITC is more valuable to their projects.

Although the utilities propose to select the winning bidder(s) before the end of 2019, the timeline in the solicitation does not suggest that the utilities and the winners will execute their PPAs and submit them for DPU approval by 2020. Any activity that the developers undertake to begin construction in 2019 based on the unapproved PPA may expose them to the risk that DPU will reject or modify the PPA after a developer has made some expenditures towards the project.

[1] See Offshore Wind Handbook, K&L GATES LLP AND SNC LAVALIN at 19 (2018), http://www.klgates.com/files/Upload/2018-08_OG_Offshore-Wind-brochure.pdf.

Join K&L Gates at the Infocast Wind Power Finance & Investment Summit

Feb 04 2019

K&L Gates welcomes you to join us at the Infocast Wind Power Finance & Investment Summit. As a Gold Sponsor for the Summit, we are excited to have the opportunity to meet with you! The conference will be held on February 5-7 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in San Diego, CA.

K&L Gates Highlights

Portland partner Bill Holmes will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the Summit.
Stop by table 21 at the Exhibit Hall to meet our team and pick up a hard copy of our Offshore Wind Handbook.
We will also have copies of the third edition of our very popular K&L Gates Energy Storage Handbook.

We look forward to seeing you!

Winds of Change

Dec 19 2018

Federal Auction for Offshore Wind Leases in Northeast Set Record High

By David L. Wochner, Abraham F. Johns, and Michael L. O’Neill

On December 13 and 14, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) conducted an auction for three offshore wind power parcels in Massachusetts. The auction not only broke the record [1] for number of companies bidding, but also for being the highest grossing offshore wind lease sale. The promotion of federal offshore land auctions and positive statements [2] from both the Secretary of the Interior and the acting head of BOEM suggest that the Trump Administration remains committed to developing U.S. offshore wind resources.

US Offshore Wind Market Handbook Helps Investors Navigate Technical and Regulatory Issues

Nov 14 2018

K&L Gates LLP, and Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group recently released an Offshore Wind Market Handbook to help guide investors through technical- and regulatory issues in the emerging US offshore wind market.

“Many large companies and institutional investors who have been successful with offshore wind projects in Europe are now poised to invest in the US,” said Andrew Thompson, Director, Offshore Wind at Atkins. “However, technical and regulatory issues unique to this market can be a barrier to developers for offshore wind energy projects. Our handbook provides practical information that addresses key matters.”

Regulatory issues include a discussion of the interplay between US federal jurisdiction and the various coastal states that have enacted laws and regulations encouraging offshore wind projects. Technical issues include turbine and foundation options and solutions, performance assurance strategies and a discussion of innovations in design and equipment that are particularly suited to US coastal waters.

“Essentially, technical and regulatory legal issues are intertwined such that project success requires a closely coordinated cross-discipline team,” said David Hattery, co-leader of K&L Gates’ power practice. “Together, K&L Gates and Atkins demonstrate a pool of knowledge and a depth of experience to draw on that gives us uniquely valuable insight into the legal and technical challenges facing the US offshore wind industry.”

The K&L Gates renewable energy practice combines European project experience with US regulatory and project development expertise. Atkins is a leading provider of full range technical and operational expertise in the energy industry, including engineering design and owner’s engineer services in the global offshore wind market. Together, K&L Gates and Atkins demonstrate market leadership on key issues and can help investors build a leading position in the US offshore wind market.

To read the full press release, click here.

Avangrid Wins Latest BOEM Auction for Offshore North Carolina Lease and Moves Towards Full Commercial Lease

Mar 23 2017

By Stanford D. Baird, Joseph D. Condo, Ankur K. Tohan, David L. Wochner, Michael L. O’Neill

Following an auction on March 16, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) named Avangrid Renewables, LLC (Avangrid) the provisional winner of the auction. Avangrid, majority owned by global energy firm Iberdrola, S.A., outbid three other auction participants to secure rights to a 122,405-acre area off the coast of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Avangrid and BOEM will now work to finalize the provisional lease and continue to develop the project.

BOEM has not scheduled any other lease auctions for offshore wind projects on the Outer Continental Shelf. However, as this month’s unsolicited bids for offshore Massachusetts and New York demonstrate, businesses remain interested in developing offshore wind projects with or without an open lease application solicitation. Therefore, in addition to submitting unsolicited lease applications, there is an opportunity to advocate at the federal level with the Trump Administration and BOEM to continue the leasing program on the Outer Continental Shelf and to continue advocating for state-level incentives for offshore wind projects.

The Auction Process and the Winning Bid
Following years of preparation, BOEM announced its plans to hold the North Carolina Outer Continental Shelf lease in January 2017. Nine bidders pre-qualified as “eligible bidders” under BOEM’s auction rules. Four companies participated in the March 16 auction:

Avangrid
Statoil Wind US LLC
Wind Future LLC
wpd offshore Alpha LLC (wpd offshore)

The bidding lasted 17 rounds, with Avangrid and wpd offshore both bidding more than $8 million in the 16th round. Avangrid’s 17th round bid of $9,066,650 successfully secured the provisional win for Avangrid.

Next Steps for the North Carolina Lease and Beyond
Part 585 of the Code of Federal Regulations lays out the next steps for finalizing the lease for the offshore North Carolina block. First, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission will review BOEM’s auction process. Then Avangrid must execute the lease, file financial assurance, and pay the balance of the “bonus bid” (the difference between the winning bid and the applicable bid deposit) within 10 days of receiving the lease documents.

Once the lease is finalized, Avangrid will have one year to submit its Site Assessment Plan (SAP) to BOEM. The SAP describes the initial activities the leaseholder will undertake to evaluate the lease site (federal guidance available here). If approved, BOEM’s regulations allow Avangrid five years to develop and submit a Construction and Operations Plan for BOEM’s approval, although the plan must be filed at least six months prior to the end of this five-year period. A Construction and Operations Plan outlines the facilities that the leaseholder plans to construct and use for its project, as well as construction activities, commercial operations, and decommissioning plans (additional federal guidance here). Once the Construction and Operations Plan is filed, BOEM will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and reasonable alternatives, as well as solicit public comment. If BOEM approves the Construction and Operations Plan, Avangrid would have a 25-year commercial lease term with the possibility of renewal.

More broadly, the North Carolina offshore wind lease auction was the last pending open auction. BOEM has evaluated potential commercial leasing and received indications of commercial interest in other Outer Continental Shelf areas, such as offshore California, Hawaii, and South Carolina, but the agency has not set a timetable for announcing any further competitive lease auctions. In the absence of an open auction, interested parties may submit unsolicited lease applications in accordance with 30 C.F.R. § 585.230.

There is also an opportunity to advocate for additional competitive Outer Continental Shelf lease auctions with the Trump Administration. President Donald Trump’s “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again” proposes a 12 percent cut to the Department of the Interior’s budget, suggesting that agencies like BOEM within the Department may be de-emphasized under the new Trump Administration. In contrast, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke called the results of last week’s North Carolina auction a “big win for collaborative efforts with state, local, and private sector partners,” so the Trump Administration, as well as legislators in Congress, may be disposed to support continued offshore wind development as this year’s federal budget debate unfolds.

Developers Submit Unsolicited Requests for Wind Leases Offshore Massachusetts and New York

Mar 16 2017

By Stanford D. Baird, Joseph D. Condo, Ankur K. Tohan, David L. Wochner, and Michael L. O’Neill

On March 10, 2017, the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) posted four unsolicited applications for wind project leases on the Outer Continental Shelf. PNE Wind U.S.A., Inc. has filed three lease applications, two for offshore Massachusetts and one for offshore New York. Separately, Statoil Wind US LLC filed a lease application for offshore Massachusetts.

The developers’ lease requests, particularly the overlapping requests for offshore Massachusetts, indicate continued interest and growing competition in the U.S. offshore wind sector. The quickening pace of activity in the U.S. offshore wind market, including completion of Deepwater Wind’s Block Island offshore wind farm and today’s auction process for offshore North Carolina, suggests that offshore wind projects may become a more important part of the U.S. power generation portfolio in the coming years. In addition, the unsolicited application for offshore New York and the federal government’s response may provide an early indication as to the Trump Administration’s position on offshore wind development going forward. Increased activity and a new administration in the White House present opportunities to engage on this issue and shape the policies that will govern the federal offshore leasing program for the next four or eight years, or beyond. Read More

New Bill Planned for the Development and Funding of Offshore Wind Energy in Germany

Jun 06 2016

By Christoph Mank

An introduction of bidding processes for determining the amount of funding for the generation of electricity from onshore wind turbines, offshore wind turbines and large photovoltaic systems is planned with an amendment of the German Renewable Energy Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz).

The German government sees the transition to bidding processes as being a central instrument for attaining the goals laid down by policy makers regarding the development of the share of renewable energies in the production of electricity. The political goal is to increase the share of renewables in the amount of electricity generated to between 40% and 45% by 2025, between 55% and 60% by 2035 and at least 80% by 2050. In real terms the increase in the contribution of renewable energy to the electricity production in Germany has gone from 25.3% in 2013 to 28% in 2014 and 32.6% in 2015. It is the political will of the current government not to fall below or exceed this established scope for expansion. For this purpose the aim is to fix the tendered quantities at a level that is as accurate as possible on the one hand; on the other hand, a high realisation rate needs to be achieved with regard to the projects awarded in the context of the bidding process.

BOEM Defines Wind Energy Areas Offshore North Carolina

Aug 14 2014

On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) has defined three Wind Energy Areas off the North Carolina coast for potential commercial wind energy development.

The three Wind Energy Areas cover approximately 307,590 acres, which is a reduction in the area initially considered by BOEM for commercial scale wind power development. The Wind Energy Areas announced Monday include about 122,405 acres off the coast of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and two areas of 51,595 acres and 133,590 acres off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. A map of the Wind Energy Areas can be found here.

Upcoming Event: Investing in Renewable Energy 2.0

Apr 29 2014

On May 15, 2014, K&L Gates will host its annual event on investment in renewable energy in its Frankfurt office. The event is co-sponsored by Grontmij and Alexa Capital.

The program will address recent developments that shape the environment of investment in renewable energy, focusing on investment in the UK while also covering German and European trends.

As in previous years, the program will combine legal and commercial perspectives, and presents speakers with professional backgrounds in project development, M&A, finance and law, all widely experienced in the renewable energy sector.

This year, program and speakers include:

The Development of the Yield Co: implications for investing in renewables and energy

Gerard Reid, Partner, Alexa Capital

UK Energy Market Reform: what it means for investors

Anthony Fine, Partner, K&L Gates, London

Paul Tetlow, Partner, K&L Gates, London

UK Power Grids: opportunities and solutions for renewable energy industry

Vijay Shinde, Head of UK Grid Services, Grontmij, Newcastle

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): the growing need and what it means for renewable investors

Dr. Felix Grolman, CEO, Grundgrün Energie GmbH

The Future of Offshore Wind

Ian Nolan, Chief Investment Officer, Green Investment Bank

Yield Cos: strategies to lower the cost of capital

Mark Henderson, Partner, Greencoat Capital

Nick Boyle, CEO, Lightsource

Development Companies: entering and operating in the UK

Thomas Kercher, CEO, PFALZSOLAR GmbH

Oliver Christof & Constantin Windisch-Graetz, Christof AG

Renewable Energy 2.0: what it means for all of us

Anthony Fine, K&L Gates (Chair)

Vijay Shinde, Grontmij

Gerard Reid, Alexa Capital

Felix Groelman, Grundgrün Energie GmbH

Mark Henderson, Greencoat Capital

Nick Boyle, Lightsource

For more information: click here.

For registration: click here.

Tag:Offshore Wind