NE4OSW Statement on Planned Northeast Interregional Collaboration on Clean Energy Transmission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2023
Contact:
Jennifer Delony, New England for Offshore Wind
jdelony@ne4osw.org, 603.320.7043
NE4OSW Commends Planned Northeast Interregional Collaboration on Clean Energy Transmission
BOSTON, Mass. – June 20, 2023 – New England for Offshore Wind (@NE4OSW) commended the New England States, New York and New Jersey for their plan to form a Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission.
“We are thrilled to see the New England states collaborating with NY and NJ to drive interregional transmission planning across multiple regions. This approach to collaboration and connection will unlock shared offshore wind resources, support decarbonization, increase reliability, and reduce costs and impacts,” said Susannah Hatch, New England for Offshore Wind Regional Lead.
“It’s phenomenal that seven states have asked for federal support in creating a new approach to approving the clean energy transmission lines we desperately need. Interregional collaboration is the key to unlocking reliable, clean, and affordable energy for all Northeast communities,” said Veronica Ung-Kono, Staff Attorney and Clean Energy Transmission Policy Specialist at National Wildlife Federation.
“The flow of clean energy from offshore cannot stop at state borders. This effort will leverage the resources of the northeastern states and the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate the clean energy transition, increase reliability of our grid, and reduce costs. This proposal is a perfect example of where, working together, the northeast states can be even greater than the sum of their parts,” said Kat Burnham, Sr. Principal at Advanced Energy United.
The states’ proposal is in line with The Brattle Group’s study this year on the Benefit and Urgency of Planned Offshore Transmission. Their report makes an urgent call for collaborative, regional offshore wind transmission planning and deployment that could save billions in transmission-related costs, significantly reduce effects on marine habitats and wildlife, avoid interconnection delays, reduce onshore impacts to communities, and spur investment in the local clean energy economy.
Background
In November 2022, New England for Offshore Wind submitted comments for a Request for Information issued by the New England States for the Regional Energy Transmission Infrastructure Initiative.
The coalition urged the states to jointly move forward with plans for a networked offshore grid to save money, avoid unnecessary impacts, and improve the reliability and resilience of the electric grid while unlocking the region’s full potential for wind power. The coalition further urged the states to make transparency and community engagement a central feature of all grid planning, including the next steps to develop a networked offshore grid.
About New England for Offshore Wind
New England for Offshore Wind (www.NewEnglandforOffshoreWind.org) is a broad-based coalition of businesses and associations, environmental organizations, academic institutions, and labor unions committed to combatting climate change by increasing the supply of clean energy to our regional grid through more procurements of responsibly developed offshore wind. We believe that responsibly developed offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis while also strengthening our regional economy, protecting ratepayers, creating high quality jobs, and improving public health by reducing pollution.