Anbaric Seeks Offshore Wind Economic Study

Anbaric has submitted a request to ISO New England for an economic study to examine the impacts of 8,000, 10,000 and 12,000MW of offshore wind on energy prices, air emissions and fuel security.

The study’s target year is 2030 and it will take into account the recent and upcoming retirements of the Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim and Millstone nuclear stations in the U.S.

“Over the past year, offshore wind targets have expanded across the New England states with numbers as large as 12,000 MW becoming more of a reality,” said Ed Krapels, CEO of Anbaric.

“As New England moves forward with its current procurements and legislation, Anbaric is requesting this new study so that consumers, policy makers and regulators have access to updated data to reach informed decisions.”

According to Theodore Paradise, Senior Vice President of Transmission Strategy at Anbaric, the request seeks to understand the impacts that larger amounts of wind energy would have, unlike past offshore wind studies.

The results are expected to show that significant offshore wind additions will help resolve the region’s fuel security needs even with generator retirements and without significant new natural gas pipelines, Paradise concludes.

As reported, Anbaric filed a request with ISO New England in mid-March for a 1,200MW HVDC interconnection to a substation in Brayton Point, Massachusetts, that would collect energy produced by offshore wind projects.