Orsted South Fork offshore wind farm delivers first power to NY electric grid

By Reuters

DENMARK — Orsted's South Fork offshore wind farm off New York delivered its first power to the state's power grid, according to a press release by New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The announcement is a bit of positive news in what has been a tough year for the nascent industry in the US, which has faced financial troubles in recent months.

"East Hampton has now made history as the first community in New York to receive clean energy from an offshore wind farm," David Hardy, Orsted's head of Region Americas, said in statement.

South Fork, which Orsted is building with Eversource, will eventually consist of 12 Siemens Gamesa turbines with a total installed capacity of 132 MW and is situated 35 miles (56 km) east of Montauk Point in New York. 

The production milestone is welcome news for embattled Orsted, which has faced massive headwinds for other US offshore wind projects forcing it to book large impairments that sent its share price tumbling.

Earlier this year, Orsted had unsuccessfully sought an improved electricity off-take price for its other New York offshore wind farm, Sunrise (924 MW), due to soaring costs that could derail the project.

Offshore wind is expected to play a major role in New York's plan to reduce carbon emissions by getting 70% of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It is also a pillar of US President Joe Biden's plan to decarbonize the US power grid and combat climate change.

In November, New York launched a new offshore wind solicitation to help support the development of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, enough to power up to six million homes.

Separately, Avangrid said it completed installation of the first five turbines on its 806-MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project offshore Massachusetts as it prepares to deliver first power in the coming weeks.

Avangrid is majority owned by Spanish energy company Iberdrola.

Wilton selectmen examine funding for over $100 million in school repairs: 'Big undertaking'

Kalleen Rose Ozanic

WILTON — In light of needed repairs that could total more than $100 million over as many as 15 years at Wilton’s public schools, the town’s newly sworn-in first selectwoman advised caution in moving forward with funding.

“It seems to me that we’re a little premature to move forward until we have a much (more) thorough understanding,” Toni Boucher said as she led her first Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.

The agenda item, “School Needs Assessment Follow Up,” included discussion of possible project management responsibilities for the Board of Education as well as a Schools and Municipal Buildings Improvement Fund.

Wilton needs all hands on deck to move forward with the logistics of the school and municipal improvements, Boucher said.

“We need to involve, in my view, (the) Board of Ed, Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen to discuss actual lists of projects and their priorities and really zero in on that,” she said.

The endeavor would be a "big undertaking," Selectwoman Kimberly Healy said. 

The needs for the school buildings, which have an average age of 60 years, were presented in November, with different projects categorized as priority levels 1, 2 and 3 within a 10-year plan. Lynne Vanderslice, the town's former first selectwoman, said the timeline would likely be drawn out further.

The priorities were defined as: 

• Priority 1 projects relate to “life safety” and “need to be addressed” immediately and within the next two years.

• Priority 2 projects, corresponding to health and safety or property damage, have a two- to six-year timeline.

• Priority 3 projects are age-related or must be done per code; they should be completed in six to 10 years.

But the three boards still need to narrow down funding and priorities, Boucher said.

Two outstanding issues regarding the proposed improvement funds are which repairs would go toward a Board of Education budget or a municipal budget, said Frank Smeriglio, Wilton’s director of public works and town engineer.

“If we are the lead, there should be an account that I should be able to draw from and not just rely on a Board of Ed account,” Smeriglio said.

Officials and board members also discussed an issue that occurred just before school started in Wilton this fall in which a fire hydrant outside the school was discovered to be inoperable.

The town had to transfer budget funds to repair the hydrant; Town Administrator Matt Knickerbockers said the school board had only budgeted for issues inside school grounds.

The second issue is the timing of budgets within different fiscal years.

“Money is not available until July 1, and you have to finish the project by June 1 of the following year,” Smeriglio said. “But in order to start a project on the day when school gets out, you have to have a contract with a contractor by March.”

The fiscal year  ends in June and begins in July, while coinciding with the start of summer for Wilton’s public schools, proves challenging, Smeriglio said.

“The only way that that works is if money is available in March of one fiscal year for work that's going to occur on July 1 of the following fiscal year,” he said.

Considering these issues of management, timing, and funding, the selectmen and Boucher said they plan to move forward with informal meetings of the triboard to narrow down the proposed projects.

KATHRYN BOUGHTON

NEW HARTFORD – The Board of Selectmen last week appointed Denton Butler, Wes Marsh and Scott Goff to a Pine Meadow sewer extension building committee.

Extension of the system was one of the conditions set in 2021 when residents approved the $8 million sale of the town’s water and sewer assets to Aquarion.

Pine Meadow, which sits over the town’s aquifer, is served by septic systems. Town officials said extending the system helps ensure the town’s water does not become polluted. The extension would add 106 new customers, alleviating the high user rates.

There also is the possibility of a massive 291-unit residential development just to the south that would further use the town’s oversized sewer plant.

The selectmen engaged in a long discussion with Butler, a veteran of several building committees, and Marsh about the charge for the new committee. The men brought a list of duties they felt appropriate for the panel’s jurisdiction, including coordinating with the town’s engineers during the design, bid, construction and acceptance process. There was some mild pushback from the selectmen about the scope of that provision, with Selectman Alesia Kennerson asking if “they should be charged with that.”

Butler said based on his previous experience on building committees, it is the committee that oversees the project.

“If we don’t spell it out, it doesn’t happen,” outgoing Selectman Laura Garay said. “These are the transition people who have worked on it up to now.

First Selectman Daniel V. Jerram questioned a provision calling for the committee to work with the engineers to create a bid package and a list of eligible bidders “who would be invited to bid.”

“You would limit the pool of candidates to those invited?” he asked.

Butler said invitations would be for contractors “who might be interested in a smaller part of this,” such as installing lateral lines.

“We want to ensure they are aware of the possibility,” he said. “It may allow for more creative bidding, that’s all that means.”

Eventually the phrase was dropped.

Oversight of construction was discussed, with subcommittee members suggesting they be responsible for it. Jerram said the contract provides for the town’s engineers, CDM Smith, to provide a professional for the task.

“On a job of this scope, we should get the support we need,” he said.

The selectmen demurred again on the issue of authorizing payments. The draft charge said the committee would “review, approve and refer to the town” all invoices. Jerram seemed uncomfortable with that, but Kennerson said “they will be regularly reporting to us on cost and change orders. If something goes off the rails, we will have the opportunity to review it.”

Incoming Selectman Mary Beth Greenwood said, “It sounds like you don’t want them to approve anything.”

The charge will be completed in January.

Solar array will not be placed in any Thomaston neighborhood

KURT MOFFETT

THOMASTON – Residents no longer have to worry about the town potentially having solar panels installed in their neighborhood.

Approximately 50 residents, most of them from the Highwood Farms section of town, attended Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting to object to having solar panels installed on town-owned land in their neighborhood. The possible site is a wooded area near the soccer field behind a dirt parking area.

Selectmen tabled the matter officially but agreed to not accept a proposal that would place panels in any residential neighborhood. The suggestion was pitched by Selectman Michael Burr, who was elected to the board last month.

“I completely understand why these folks wouldn’t want one in their backyard,” Burr said. “I wouldn’t want one in my backyard either.”

First Selectman Edmond V. Mone said the reason the town is looking at potential sites is because about a year ago, solar companies started approaching the town about installations in the downtown area. Because of the complexity of the matter, the town hired a consultant, Energia Solar Solutions, for $10,000 to help the board determine whether this is a technology worth pursuing.

“We’re not trying to create an eyesore in your backyard,” Mone told residents. “We are doing our due diligence.”

The board tabled the matter to give Burr a chance to read what Energia has done thus far.

Visibility of the panels was the residents’ main concern. Other concerns were proximity to the potential site, impact on wetlands and wildlife, health and safety, interference with cellphones and other electronic devices, and the effect on property values and ability to sell their home.

“If you’re going to save $8 a month (in electric bills), but you lose $60,000 on (the value of) your house, I’d rather pay a higher electric bill,” said Wally Foell of Julia Lane.

Bill French of Edwin Lane said the trees in the neighborhood do not provide enough buffer between where the panels would go and the houses.

Kevin Luchun of D. Welton Way said he has solar panels on his home that save him $2,500 a year, but “I don’t want to look at them every day.”

Natalie Rinaldi of Edwin Lane said, through tears, she is concerned about how the panels would affect the health of her 1-year-old child and many of the other young families who live in the area.

“It’s one thing when you have it in an area where you’re coming and you’re going,” she said. “But with this, the whole neighborhood is going to live with it.”

Mone said if the town were in favor of a solar energy proposal, the town would sign a power purchase agreement with the solar company, likely for 20 years. This agreement would address many of the residents’ concerns about town liability, and the maintenance and removal of the panels because the company, not the town, would be responsible for that. He also said the Planning and Zoning and the Inland Wetlands commissions would make sure if they approved a solar proposal, the company would have to adhere to conditions that would protect wetlands and wildlife, and that an adequate buffer was in place to make the panels difficult to see.

But the selectmen have not yet issued a request for proposals, so they don’t know whether a solar energy plan is viable for the town. Because the town is small and much of its undeveloped land is protected by three flood-control dams built after the Flood of 1955, there are few places where the panels could go. The only option left may be the fire station roof, unless the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits solar panels on land behind the dams. Highwood Farms, a subdivision created in the 1990s off High Street Extension, was the only ground-level site the town had.

“To me, it sounds like we don’t want to throw a lot of money at this concept,” Burr said, “because we just don’t have the topography or the space to accommodate it.”