Eversource finds buyer for South Fork, Revolution wind stakes

OFFSHORE WIND: Eversource Energy says it will sell its stake in the South Fork and Revolution wind projects to Global Infrastructure Partners for $1.1 billion as it posts a fourth-quarter loss. (Reuters)

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ALSO: A nonprofit business program selects nine Maryland companies aiming to enter or expand in the domestic offshore wind industry for free consulting and project development services. (news release)

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TRANSIT: Boston’s city council may consider a traffic congestion pricing plan similar to that of New York City to improve air quality and support public transit use. (Boston Herald)

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FOSSIL FUELS:

• Shell’s CEO says that the ethane cracker plant it built in Pennsylvania’s Beaver County cost about $14 billion to develop — almost 130% more than earlier estimates provided by the company. (Beaver County Times)
• Eversource joins National Grid in striking a deal with Constellation to purchase liquefied natural gas from the Everett Marine Terminal and keep the facility open for six more years. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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GRID:

• Around 42,000 Pennsylvanians are reportedly still dealing with outages this morning, some of whom utility PPL say won’t have power restored until Thursday, following a winter storm that dumped snow on the region. (PowerOutage.US, Penn Live Patriot-News, Newsday, NBC News)
• New England’s grid operator wants to move away from committing to energy resources three years in advance and toward a new model that it says reflects available resources and demand more accurately. (Utility Dive)
• Maryland ratepayer advocates criticize proposed PJM Interconnection grid upgrades to benefit northern Virginia’s data centers that are slated to cost Maryland ratepayers $500 million. (Frederick News-Post)

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BUILDINGS:

• New elevated developments in East Boston help test if the city is able to adequately fortify its flood-prone neighborhoods from rising sea levels. (Boston Globe)
• Maryland plans to fund $355 million worth of energy efficiency retrofits and upgrades at around 60,000 households over the next three years. (Fox Baltimore)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Vermont Electric Cooperative begins tracking how many electric vehicles are plugged in to charge overnight and manages their charging times to prevent grid overload but still fulfill demand. (WCAX)

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SOLAR: A central Maine town’s board sends solar-related zoning recommendations to its city council centered around wetlands protection and when it’s appropriate to rezone land for solar. (Morning Sentinel)

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NUCLEAR: The chair of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission tours the Oswego, New York, nuclear plant and says nuclear power is critical for the state to reach its clean power goals. (Spectrum News 1)

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CLIMATE: The future of some traditional New England sports like pond hockey are threatened by the milder winters and thinner ice coverage associated with climate change. (Associated Press)

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