We Need to Replace Dirty, Retiring or at Risk Power Plants
Our six New England states share a 30 gigawatt (GW) regional electric grid that is at an inflection point. Somewhere between a sixth and a third of all of our old coal and oil-fired power plants are at risk of retiring in the next decade. Meanwhile, our demand for electricity is increasing as we electrify transportation and heating — and our planet is in a climate crisis.
There is a growing gap between future demand and future supply. There is also a growing urgency to harness utility-scale renewable energy to decarbonize our lives. All six New England states are aiming to hit or exceed an 80% reduction in climate pollution by 2050. That is only 30 years from now. How will we do it?
Now is the moment we choose offshore wind. Already, New England has federally-designated offshore wind lease areas and more lease areas could be possible. But we need to act boldly and collaboratively to transform our energy grid.