Paying for the Future
You may have seen recent news stories that FIEC received an $8.7 million federal grant from the USDA New ERA program to build several renewable energy projects. It sounds like a done deal. It’s not. There is a lot of work and a community decision ahead of us.
• The New ERA program award consists of a $3.625 million grant and a $10.875 million loan at 2%.
• The FIEC and FIW applied for the New ERA program, along with other grant and loan programs, to make proposed generation projects economically feasible for its customers.
▪ The individual New ERA award projects – repowering the wind turbines and installing a solar array – are subject to many complex steps, including approval by the Town of Vinalhaven, lots of engineering studies, and a wide range of environmental approvals.
▪ Most importantly, the entire generation plan will require approval from FIEC members through a community-wide vote before moving forward.
The FIEC and FIW boards have spent the last year researching options for future power delivery for our communities, looking at a wide range of conceptual approaches.
▪ Options have included repowering the existing wind turbines, installing cost-effective large-scale solar somewhere on the islands, and using large batteries to store excess power. One site that might make sense for solar could be the capped Vinalhaven landfill, since many towns on the mainland have installed solar on their closed landfills. However, there are other possible solar locations on both islands.
▪ We have also investigated the feasibility of other options, such as tidal power, geothermal energy, and even “green” hydrogen production and generation. Another option involves decommissioning our wind turbines, abandoning local generation, and buying all of our power from the mainland.
▪ Each option has its pros and cons, but any strategy has to make economic sense for the community and will also need approval from FIEC members through a vote before moving forward.
In addition to researching future power delivery options, FIEC and FIW have been jointly pursuing financial support through a number of programs, including the New ERA program, to help provide us with the most cost-effective solution for the islands.
We are excited by the New ERA program’s recognition of our efforts toward achieving energy independence and securing reliable, affordable, and responsible sources of energy for the Fox Islands, but the work has just begun. Many details remain to be worked out.
We will continue to keep you posted on this important and exciting issue for our two communities.