Spanish wind developer attempting to take over NYS electricity infrastructure
February 29th, 2008 by admin¿Cómo se pronuncia “NYSEG” en español, señor?
—Op-Ed by Calvin Luther Martin
One of the biggest, most controversial and aggressive foreign wind developers is maneuvering to buy out New York State’s electricity infrastructure. Iberdrola (pronounced “Eye-ber-drola”), a Spanish company, has applied to the NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) for permission to do just this.
The PSC held hearings in major cities throughout NYS recently for public input. (Perhaps they are continuing, I’m not certain.) There was a hearing in Plattsburgh last week, but the PSC announcement and schedule failed to say what the point of the hearing was—merely that there was a hearing. As far as I know, no 0ne from North Country Advocates or any other regional watchdog group attended.
Now we read the attached article in today’s Malone Telegram (2/29/08)—a week too late. (Why didn’t the Telegram announce the purpose of the Plattsburgh PSC hearing two weeks ago? On the other hand, why didn’t we announce it here, in RiverCityMalone.com? Shame on the Telegram and RiverCityMalone.)
I believe I recall an article circulated by Wayne Miller (was it?) several months ago, noting how shaky Iberdrola’s finances are, and how abysmal its Wall Street credit rating. My impression, at the time, was, “This company is a house of cards.” Let me emphasize, I’m working from memory here, so don’t take my reflections as gospel.
However, it’s worth taking a hard look at Iberdrola’s finances.
Finances aside, Iberdrola’s windplant projects have become the scourge of rural communities. Now we read they may be controlling NYSEG. As if that were not enough trauma for the day, U.S. Senator Schumer declares “any sale should also come with penalties for the company if it fails to meet … an increase in wind power development.”
Hmmm. More windplants in NYS plus a notorious wind developer controlling what used to be NYSEG? Is the PSC really, truly considering giving away the farm to a foreign wind developer?
Am I missing something here? Sure looks to me like the wind developers are trying to take over NYS’s energy infrastructure to further their windplants—and have us reimburse them with higher and higher energy costs. (Did you notice the direction your electric bill took after National Grid, a British Company, bought Niagara Mohawk?)
Let’s have some spirited dialogue on this. Post your thoughts, suggestions, research into Iberdrola, below. (This, after all, is the express purpose of RiverCityMalone.)
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February 29th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Looks to me like La Cucuracha started it’s infestation awhile ago, and not just here in the U.S.A.
http://tdworld.com/mag/power_iberdrola_sa_considers/
http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/06/spanish_company_to_acquire_nys.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/91/91688.html
That is one monster of a cucuracha!
February 29th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
*scratches head* hummmmmmm?
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
Wind power is an investment in the future. My contention is, and has been, that there is no good argument against finding alternate sources of energy. We’ve nearly reached peak oil. The whole world is up in arms about gas and energy prices in general but no one seems to be willing to take personal responsibility for the crisis. Where are the tax breaks for those who purchase hybrid cars? Or put on a sweater as opposed to cranking the heat? And what are YOU, gentle reader, doing to decrease your energy usage? Arguments over what not to do only go so far before humanity must face the grim reality. We would be better served to argue what should be done over what should not. I cringe at the challenges my daughter’s generation will face.
“The countries with the highest total installed (wind power ) capacity are Germany (18,428 MW), Spain (10,027 MW), the USA (9,149 MW), India (4,430 MW) and Denmark (3,122). India has thereby overtaken Denmark as the fourth largest wind market in the world. A number of other countries, including Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Portugal have reached the 1,000 MW mark of installed capacity.
In terms of new installed capacity in 2005, the US was clearly leading with 2,431 MW, followed by Germany (1,808 MW), Spain (1,764 MW), India (1,430 MW), Portugal (500 MW) and China (498 MW). This development shows that new players such as Portugal and China are gaining ground.
Europe is still leading the market with over 40,500 MW of installed capacity at the end of 2005 in the EU, representing 69% of the global total. In 2005, the European wind capacity grew by 18%, providing nearly 3% of the EU’s electricity consumption in an average wind year.”
http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=30&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=21&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=4&cHash=d0118b8972
It’s crunch time, people – think about it.
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Trevor must either be heavily invested in corporations getting rich from wind subsidies or hoping against hope that the claims of this valueless industry will suddenly stop being fabricated out of whole cloth.
I do agree with him that we have to wake up. We must deal with the fact that Americans use twice as much energy per capita as anyone else in the world. We must deal with the fact that current industrial wind technology is unproductive, unreliable, expensive, and diverting us from real solutions to energy production/conservation and reducing global climate change.
If Trevor hopes to have wind power effect positive change, I suggest he lobby the state and federal policy makers to transfer their support from industrial wind farms to small residential and commercial turbines like those permitted in Malone, Bangor and now Brandon, too. They are efficient, get people off the grid, and actually reduce our overall carbon footprint. Only problem is: we don’t have millions with which to lobby like Enron did to create the current boondoogle.
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Public Service Commission has another hearing scheduled for March 17th regarding Iberdrola. Case Number 07-M-0906 Ibedrola, SA 3 Empire State Plaza 3rd floor hearing room, Albany, NY
Rafael Epstein Evidentiary Hearing Acquisition
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
It appears we are adding dependence on foreign electricity to dependence on foreign oil.
Wind power in the low class winds of northern NY is neither efficient, dependable, nor predictable.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:11 am
The current holdup for wind energy (and solar for that matter) is current battery technology. As that improves, storage solutions for energy will become more plentiful and wind and solar options will show their real potential. It’s about a decade off but it’s not the only area of technology struggling with current battery restrictions. For anyone who hasn’t seen it I recommend the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJAlrYjGz8
“… lobby the state and federal policy makers to transfer their support from industrial wind farms to small residential and commercial turbines like those permitted in Malone, Bangor and now Brandon, too. They are efficient, get people off the grid, and actually reduce our overall carbon footprint.”
Careful, the thought police are listening!
Regardless, I don’t argue wind is some cure-all. It is however an investment in the future, something our nation has largely ignored over the past several decades. Sadly, America’s form of capitalism and the free market economy has outgrown itself, eating itself from the inside out. Only the wealthy thrive in this environment.
If Europe has embraced wind power and made it feasible, why can’t we? I think to flatly reject the option is short-sighted at best and possibly dangerous. We need many changes, alternate energy is just one. Having grown up abroad and believing myself a true patriot America’s greed and avarice and aversion to change or progress at this late hour is embarrassing. I wish I could say ignorance is to blame for this stagnancy but I fear the problem is far more sinister.
But Bush got his war and Johnny got his gun – all is right in their world. What of mine and yours?
March 4th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Trevor B. said that the holdup for wind energy is current battery technology. OK, I agree with you. Then why is this futuristic technology being shoved down our throats when it’s about a decade off? It’s all about money, Trevor, and nothing else.
I have no intention of becoming a sacrificial experimental guinea pig to some scam.
The wind resource in Northern New York has been proven to be near useless for the production of electricity. I won’t bore you with the proof. It’s out there for all to see.
Trevor, have you seen the most recent videos on YouTube regarding the wind turbine that blew apart and collapsed in Denmark due to a faulty braking system? Have you seen the blade/blades of industrial wind turbines that have come apart in Fenner NY? Lackawanna NY? and elsewhere?
Not only is battery technology behind, so is the industrial wind turbine industry when it comes to safety. A nuclear power plant is far safer than an industrial wind turbine facility by a huge margin.
I use energy conserving bulbs in my home and I don’t run my Christmas lights from the day after Thanksgiving through mid January. Wasted energy is the problem and industrial wind turbines will never make even a slight dent in that problem. Two hundred thousand industrial wind turbines won’t even come close to alleviating our country’s problem of wasted energy. I will not accept any personal responsibility for the crisis.
I agree that something needs to be done. How about energy conservation instead of the flagrant, unnecessary misuse of energy? That is what needs to be addressed. Adding more efficient power generating facilities in the future is a no brainer because of population increase. Teaching energy conservation to our future generations should be a required elementary school subject and a refresher course should be mandatory in high school. We need to cure the root of the problem, not put a band-aid on it by erecting near useless industial wind turbines to try to offset the crisis.
Yes, it’s great to be able to foresee/predict the future. The future is not now. A decade from now is not just around the corner. Crunch time? Yes it is. Let’s crunch it wisely.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Foreign companies want to sell their merchandise anywhere they can regardless of the impact on the community.
What do they care? It’s all about money money and then they go home to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I noted in one comment below that “Europe has embraced wind power.” This should have been “some people in Europe….” Some of the best known environmentalists are against wind power.
Wind Power is “BLOWING MONEY ON A FANTASY,” by Edward Heathcoat Amory in the UK Daily Mail of February5, 2008:
“The sudden growth in this area of energy supply is because the green lobby has convinced many that this renewable power source is the answer to our looming energy crisis, but the truth is that not only do renewables provide a mere 1.3 per cent of the country’s energy needs but also that this money is being wasted. The subsidy system works on the principle of encouraging the development of new wind farms by forcing traditional energy companies to pay producers of renewable energy. The firms then recoup the money by charging consumers higher bills…. After an initial surge in the number of new wind farms, few are currently being built. The most obvious sites, far from human habitation, have already been filled and energy firms are now facing delays in obtaining planning permission to build in more environmentally sensitive locations.
“As a result, the huge subsidy is concentrated in a small number of hands. There is a rising amount of money for renewable energy and if less is produced each turbine gets more of the pot. At current subsidy rates, anyone who constructs a wind farm, which is expected to last for a minimum of 20 years, will have paid off their investment in only five years. From then on, it’s profit all the way to the bank.”
Energy experts warned that the “renewable obligation subsidy system” is hugely flawed and places an unfair burden on families at a time when household bills are soaring…. Energy expert Peter Atherton, from financial analysis City Investment Research, added, “It’s a bonanza. Anyone who can get their nose in the trough is trying to.”
Wind farm owners insists that their profits are not excessive — and that without subsidies, no business would invest in wind power.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:39 am
“Foreign companies want to sell their merchandise anywhere they can regardless of the impact on the community. What do they care? It’s all about money money and then they go home to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.”
Xenophobia is historically a common reaction in times of uncertainty for a nation. This is about a free market economy. Are we surprised businesses seek to make money? Is that not OK? Or is it only OK for American businesses? I miss the argument. We must take the good with the bad in our choices – be they government, market or otherwise.
“Not only is battery technology behind, so is the industrial wind turbine industry when it comes to safety. A nuclear power plant is far safer than an industrial wind turbine facility by a huge margin.”
I think most people remember nuclear power was not always so safe, though I agree huge steps have been made. I find it ironic that those who were critical of nuclear power in its early days appear to embrace it now while protesting further power-generating technologies. These technologies are in their infancies and I think some growing pains are to be expected. Forgive the cliché, but Rome wasn’t etc., etc.
“Yes, it’s great to be able to foresee/predict the future. The future is not now. A decade from now is not just around the corner. Crunch time? Yes it is. Let’s crunch it wisely.”
This is where we differ. The future IS now, and a decade IS just around the corner. I am neither a wind power proponent nor do I rail against it, I simply think options and innovations should be explored fully. In my experience, especially as a local journalist, I have seen how minds were made up against wind power since the beginning. Evidence against wind power was dug up quite late in the game and in my opinion has been rather unconvincing.
“It’s all about money, Trevor, and nothing else.”
This attitude is common and it, in my opinion, a cop-out. We are a capitalist society! It’s always about the money and we were OK with that between WWII and the late ’60s. Now that some negative repercussions have begun nibbling at us we’re only OK with it if we agree with business plans or technology or whatever? Seems rather hypocritical.
Conservation is a wonderful first step, I agree fully. I too use the new bulbs, conserve where I can and drive a car that pushes the 40 mpg mark. However, oil is a finite resource. Conservation is ultimately a stop gap measure as long as our reliance on petroleum is paramount.
“I will not accept any personal responsibility for the crisis.”
I will. I must, as must all thinking people in this day and age. We are all to blame, as are our parents and theirs. We didn’t get here overnight and our problems can in every instance be traced to the greed inherent to our system. I think we’re missing the big picture here.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Hold on to your pocketbooks. I in no way am opposed to alternative energy, but there are many ways to skirt around this without having to put large structures randomly throughout N.Y. State. This is all about the almighty dollar. NYSEG has built its company and is in partnership with the wind developers. I don’t believe the foreign investors are really looking at the big picture here. The same can be said for the foreign company that has just bought Jericho Rise Verizon for 2.9 billion dollars. This looks like a very lucrative business to them when in fact it was a very ill-timed investment. No more governmental tax breaks for these companies is going to be a big problem.
Just some food for thought: If all of these people in upstate N.Y. are so for the environment and are so green-minded, Why oh why do people not recycle like they should here?