Delay for Delaware off-shore wind farm start date

    The start of off-shore wind power in Delaware could be delayed by two years.

    NRG Bluewater Wind will now have until the end of  2016 to begin providing electricity to Delmarva Power according to a new agreement reached between the two companies.  The previous deadline for power to start being delivered had been December 1, 2014 under an agreement reached in 2008.  The companies are now asking the Delaware Public Service Commission to push back that deadline until December 1, 2016.  Company officials say while the end of 2016 is the latest power could start flowing, the wind farm could be up and running as soon as six months after the original start date.

    President of  NRG Bluewater Wind Peter Mandelstam says possible delays in getting federal permits and the restructuring of the Minerals Management Service as the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement forced the date to be pushed back.  “While we fully expect to have the Mid-Atlantic Wind Park built and online before 2016, this amendment simply adjusts the timeline for circumstances beyond our control.”

    NRG Energy took over control of Bluewater Wind late last year after the company’s former owner Babcock and Brown announced plans for a controlled break up and liquidation.

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