Cape Wind EIS Preliminary Screening of Alternatives

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Regulatory Program
Authority Granted by Congress Section 10
Rivers Harbors Act of 1899 Process Leading to
Decision National Environmental Policy
Act Purpose Objective Review Public
Involvement Informed Decision
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Environmental Impact Statement

• Jan June 2002 EIS Scoping
• March 2002 hearings
• July November 2002 developed preliminary sites
  and screening criteria
• November March 2002 Screening list of
  preliminary alternatives

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Environmental Impact Statement

• Detailed evaluation of sites undergoing further
  review
• Data collection
• Draft EIS released for public review comment
• Public Hearing
• Final Environmental Impact Statement
• Record of Decision - Issue or Deny permit

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Site Screening Process

• EIS scoping Spring 2002
• Sites suggested through public comment
• initial screening criteria in June 2002 scope
• Start with a long list of offshore terrestrial
  sites throughout NE
• Using available information screen out/eliminate
  sites do not warrant detailed evaluation

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EIS scope project purpose

• Commercial scale renewable energy facility
  providing power to the New England grid

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Range of Alternatives

• Practical feasible in light of the underlying
  purpose need for the proposal
• Not require costly time-consuming evaluation of
  conjectural alternatives

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Commercial scale

• Applicant proposed 420 MW facility
• Recent projects in ISO-NE area range 200-1500MW
• Corps has looked at /-20 as reasonable for
  previous projects
• Example strip mall not considered a reasonable
  alternative to a regional shopping mall

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Renewable energy

• wind,
• tidal,
• solar,
• biomass,
• hydroelectric

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Renewable technologies

• information previously developed by others
• which renewable energy sources may be considered
  feasible at this scale

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• Wind
• Intermittment power source
• Highly visible
• Technological advances in past 20 years
• Fastest growing energy source in U.S.
• Generating capacity from 1kw-600mw
• More than 20,000 commercial-sized wind turbines
  producing 2,000mw worldwide within last 10 years.
• DOE standardized classification system of wind
  resource

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• Tidal
• Similar to hydropower concept (barrage,
  powerhouse, turbine)
• Power typically produced during ebb tide
• .4mw-240mw generating capacity
• Typically tidal ranges gt 10-15 feet
• Highly variable power generation tidal cycles
• Average capacity 25-30 of maximum output
  capacity
• 240mw France 8 meter tide range
• Northern Maine only potential New England
  Location

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• Wave
• Technology is not yet commercially viable
• Variety of wave capture technologies (surge,
  heaving, pitching, oscillating)
• Least developed renewable energy technology
• Generating capacity 1-30mw
• Currently, only small (lt5mw) projects in
  development

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• Photovoltaic (P/V)/Solar
• Solar energy storage intermittent power
• New England has lower direct insolation than
  other parts of the country
• Average duty cycles 1,500 hours/yr N.E.
• Flat rate systems 50w-200kw
• More feasible for off-grid and consumer
  applications
• High cost to produce (0.38-0.80kwh)
• Low efficiency

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• Biomass
• Biomass feedstocks used as fuel source
• Direct combustion
• Biomass gasification
• Close-coupled gasification
• Second largest renewable energy resource in U.S.
  (7,000 mw-installed)
• Biomass integrated gasification (BIG) integrated
  into combined cycle gas turbines not effective
  on commercial scale yet
• Small scale demonstration projects 25kw-5mw
• One BIG/GCGT in Sweden (6mw)
• Results in generation of 100s ton of annual air
  emissions (NOxSO2)

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• Hydroelectric
• Major hydro capacity is N. New England
• Output can vary with seasonal flow
• Annual utilization rates of 40-50 (1,000-7,000
  hours)
• Small hydropower (1-30mw) 50 of the capacity
• Large hydropower (gt30mw) remaining 50
• Utilize impoundments, dams, diversion facilities,
  canals, run-of-river
• Environmental impacts resulting from impoundment

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Renewable Technologies
Summary

• Solar not for large scale generation
• Wave tidal are still developing, not clear that
  NE has suitable conditions
• Hydroelectric sites are in northern NE where
  there is no demand-existing facilities being
  decommissioned in some places
• Wind Biomass greatest potential for larger
  scale projects (Biomass combustion has air
  quality impacts)

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Screening Criteria
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Preliminary Screening Criteria

• Sufficient surplus electric transmission capacity
  to transport 200-1,500 MW to load centers
  throughout the ISO-NE transmission system

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Preliminary Screening Criteria

• Wind Power Classification of 4 or greater (Wind
  speeds gt15.7 mph at 50 meters)

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Wind Resource at 65 m
Created by TrueWind Solutions and AWS Scientific
Funded by Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Mass.
Technology Collaborative, Northeast Utilities
Systems
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Preliminary Screening Criteria

• Available land or offshore watersheet area
  sufficient to accommodate a 200-1,500 MW wind
  energy project

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Equivalent Land / Water Area Ratio for Wind
Energy Generation

• Assuming Wind Power Class 4 or greater
• Industry Accepted Project Planning Guidelines
• 1.2 X Ratio of Land to Water area for equivalent
  MW capacity
• Land based
• Ridgeline 1 mile per 10 MW
• Open Space 20 acres per 1 MW
• Lower wind class requires more land area per MW

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Preliminary Screening Criteria

• Engineering and design limitations
• Physical, geological and environmental site
  conditions
• Offshore water depths lt50 feet mean low water
  with significant wave heights of lt18 feet
• Practical construction and maintenance access of
  state-of-the-art (2.7 MW or greater) wind turbine
  generators
• Practical construction and maintenance of land
  and submarine electric transmission line
  interconnections
• Available technology - Use of Alternating Current
  (AC) transmission systems

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Preliminary Screening Criteria

• Legal/Regulatory constraints
• State or federal land or water use exclusions
• Avoidance of state or federally protected
  environmental resource areas

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Alternative Sites
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Alternative Sites

• Land-Based Alternatives
• Massachusetts Military Reservation
• Searsburg, VT
• Princeton, MA
• Skinner/Kibby townships, ME
• Redington Pond/Black Nubble Mountain, ME
• Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers, CT (Brownfield)
• Greenfield, MA (Landfill)

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Massachusetts Military Reservation / Otis Air
Force Base
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Expansion at Searsburg VT. (Existing 6MW Facility)
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Expansion at Princeton MA. (Existing Facility)
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Skinner / Kibby Township Maine
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Redington Black Nubble Mt. Maine
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CT. DOT Site (Brownfield)
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City of Greenfield Landfill
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Alternative Sites

• Offshore Alternatives
• Nantucket Sound, MA
• Nantucket Shoals, MA
• Marthas Vineyard, MA (south)
• Block Island, RI
• Cape Ann, MA
• Vinalhaven Island, ME

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Nantucket Sound
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Nantucket Shoals
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South of Marthas Vineyard
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Block Island
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Cape Ann
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Vinalhaven Island
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Applying Criteria
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Massachusetts Military Reservation
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Massachusetts Military Reservation, MA

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Available Land Area Approximately 22,000 acres
• Wind Power Class 3
• Engineering or Regulatory Constraints
• EPA Superfund National Priority Listed Site
• Priority Habitats of Rare Species
• Adjacent to Shawme Crowell State Forest and
  Crane State Wildlife Management Area
• Active Military Use with land use restrictions

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Searsburg, VT (expansion)

• Existing-Eleven 550 kW WTGs along .6 miles of
  ridgeline, encompassing 35 acres 6 MW Facility
• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Wind Power Class 4
• Available Land Area
• 30-40 MW of additional WTG installation available
  along adjacent ridgelines
• would require private lands acquisition and use
  of Green Mountain National Forest lands

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Princeton, MA (expansion)

• Existing facility - Eight 40 kW WTGs
• Princeton Municipal Light Department
• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Wind Power Class 2-3
• Available Land Area
• Wachusett Mt. State Reservation
• Minns Wildlife Sanctuary
• Private Lands

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Skinner Kibby Township
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Skinner / Kibby Township, ME

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• North South Transmission Constraint
• Wind Power Class 5
• Available Land Area-owner not willing to sell
• Would require 50 miles of new or
  upgraded roads

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Redington/Black Nubble Mt, ME

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• North South transmission constraint
• Wind Power Class 5
• Available Land Area
• Property currently being developed
• Twenty nine 1.75 kW WTGs proposed (52 MW) over
  220 acres along approx. 5 miles of ridgeline
• Notes
• Navy Survival School

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CT DOT Site (Brownfield), CT

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Transmission restricted
• Wind Power Class 2
• Available Land Area
• 18 acres
• Urban site

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City of Greenfield, MA Landfill

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Wind Power Class 3
• Topographically blocked from wind resource
  Located at Base of Berkshire Mountains
• Available Land Area
• Approximately 20 acres
• Adjacent to Deerfield River (wetlands/floodplain
  )
• Notes
• Contains Priority Habitat of Rare Species and
  Estimated Habitat of Rare Wildlife and Certified
  Vernal Pools

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Proposed Alternative Horseshoe Shoal
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Nantucket Sound, MA

• Transmission Capacity Surplus yes
• Wind Power Class 5
• Available Watersheet Area yes
• Notes
• Water Depths less than 50 ft.
• Sheltered from Open Ocean exposure
• Max Wave Hgt. 15 ft.

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Nantucket Shoals
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Nantucket Shoals, MA

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Interconnection distance too long for AC line
• Wind Power Class 6
• Available Watersheet Area
• Notes
• Water depths less than 50 ft.
• Open ocean exposure from south and east
• Max Wave Hgt 31.5 ft (WIS 88) 37.0 ft (WIS
  89)
• Whale sitings in general vicinity

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Marthas Vineyard
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South of Marthas Vineyard, MA

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Interconnection distance too long for AC
• Wind Power Class 5
• Available Watersheet Area
• Notes
• Water Depths greater than 50 ft.
• Open Ocean Exposure to the south
• Max Wave Hgt 26.9 ft (WIS 86)
• Unexploded Ordinance near Nomans land
• Entrance to Muskeget Channel
• Seal winter haul out location (Nomans Land)

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Block Island
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Block Island, RI

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Wind Power Class 3-4
• Available Watersheet Area
• Notes
• Water Depths greater than 50 ft.
• Open Ocean Exposure to the south
• Max Wave Hgt 30.2 ft (WIS 82)
• Major Shipping Channels
• Whales seals known to frequent area

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Cape Ann
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Cape Ann, MA

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Wind Power Class 4
• Available Watersheet Area
• Notes
• Water Depths greater than 50 ft.
• Open Ocean Exposure from the east
• Max Wave Hgt 37.7 ft (WIS 95)
• Concentration of right whale and humpback whale
  sightings
• Harbor seal and/or grey seal winter haul out
  location (The Salvages)

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Vinalhaven Island
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Coastal Maine (Vinalhaven)

• Transmission Capacity Surplus
• Wind Power Class 4
• Available Watersheet Area
• Notes
• Water Depths greater than 50 ft.
• Open Ocean Exposure to the east
• Max Wave Hgt 38.7 ft (WIS 103)
• Geology (shallow bedrock / rock outcroppings)
• Shipping Channels
• Whales seals

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Next Step

• Which sites are to be eliminated from further
  consideration?
• Which sites warrant detailed evaluation?

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Schedule

• Initial timeline minimum time required for each
  part of process
• Draft EIS issuance dependent upon sites chosen
  for detailed evaluation
• May - December