The company behind the planned offshore wind farm in Massachusetts has officially given up on the nearly two-decade fight to bring it to life, saying it is better off developing other forms of energy elsewhere.
“During Cape Wind’s development period we successfully developed over a billion dollars of renewable solar and biomass energy projects and, although we were unable to bring Cape Wind to fruition, we are proud of the catalyzing and pioneering effort we devoted to bringing offshore wind to the United States,” said Jim Gordon, Cape Wind and Energy Management CEO, in a statement late last week after informing the Interior Department that it no longer will be using the permit it received to build the offshore energy project.
Planning of the Cape Wind project was started in 2001 and faced sustained opposition and court challenges orchestrated by wealthy land owners on Nantucket Sound and the fossil energy industry, Gordon said.
He said he hopes that Cape Wind’s success in resolving the multiple lawsuits against it are “important legal precedents that will hopefully make it easier for other offshore wind developers that follow.”
The company, Cape Wind Associates, quietly announced its decision last Thursday, but few responded to it until Monday. The company had been reportedly planning its departure from the wind project after it had problems securing customer agreements.
The offshore energy trade group National Ocean Industries Association called the decision “disappointing” on Monday. The group represents oil and natural gas offshore energy producers as well as offshore renewable energy developers, since both industries rely on similar resources to develop their energy projects in the open ocean.
“While Cape Wind ultimately decided to end their hard-fought 16-year quest to bring offshore wind power to Massachusetts, the National Ocean Industry Association (NOIA) will continue our support of the U.S. offshore wind sector,” said Randall Luthi, the president of the trade group, before highlighting the success of the offshore oil sector.
“We are proud of the contributions our U.S. offshore oil and gas members are making toward the progress of offshore wind energy development in America, as they continue to safely produce affordable and reliable domestic offshore oil and natural gas, provide good jobs, and generate state and federal revenue,” Luthi said.
Offshore wind developers point out that amid the demise of Cape Wind, operational offshore wind projects off the coast of Rhode Island and Long Island by the firm Deepwater Wind are experiencing success.
Industry sources see the projects as the future of offshore wind energy off the Atlantic Coast. The projects, such as the one off the coast of Block Island, R.I., are smaller than Cape Wind, but they have managed to secure a stable source of buyers in providing electricity to the island’s residents that want to reduce dependence on expensive diesel fuel from the mainland.
The Block Island project numbers five wind turbines, while the Cape Wind project would have included 130 turbines.
