Vineyard Wind’s final turbine sets sail

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

WIND

• Vineyard Wind’s 62nd and final turbine tower sails out of the port of New Bedford in Massachusetts, less than 24 hours after a federal judge allows work on the development to resume. (New Bedford Light)

• Maine is accepting bids to build large onshore wind farms in the northernmost part of the state, but residents of the area won’t get any of the power produced, as their electric system is not connected to the New England grid. (Inside Climate News)

NATURAL GAS

• New York’s environmental regulator files its opposition to developer Williams Cos.’ request to revive federal permits for a previously canceled natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania into New York. (Reuters)

• The city of Hartford, Connecticut, pauses a plan to heat downtown government buildings with new natural gas boilers because of potential interference from a highway construction project; the delay will allow the city to consider the possibilities of more climate-friendly alternatives. (CT Mirror)

CLIMATE

• Maine lawmakers advance a ​“climate superfund” bill that would require fossil fuel companies to pay for damages caused by climate change and resiliency measures to protect residents from flooding. (Maine Morning Star)

• Connecticut environmental advocates ask state legislators to introduce a climate superfund bill of their own. (Hartford Courant)

• Maryland is on track to miss its 2031 emissions reduction goal by a wide margin, in part because of Trump administration policy changes, a group of university researchers finds. (Maryland Matters)

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul could be considering a change to the way greenhouse gas emissions are calculated that would put the state closer to is 2030 goals. (New York Focus)

SOLAR

• Permitting bottlenecks, inconsistent regulations and fees, and inefficiency in the interconnection process are holding back the growth of solar power in Maryland, according to a new report by environmental and business groups. (PV Magazine)

• Vermont lawmakers advance a bill that would allow residents to use small solar systems that plug into their home outlets. (MyChamplainValley.com)

AFFORDABILITY

• Following public outcry, Massachusetts utilities back off plans to charge customers interest on money deferred from their winter bills as part of an affordability plan requested by Gov. Maura Healey. (WCVB)

• Low-income Maine residents buying power from competitive electricity suppliers overpaid by $156 million from 2016 to 2024, a new report finds. (WABI)

GRID

• New England’s energy demand rose 0.8% in 2025, the second year in a row demand has increased after falling or staying steady for roughly 20 years. (RTO Insider)

• Continued cold weather in New England is expected to cause tight operating conditions on the power system this weekend, though grid operator ISO New England forecasts it will be able to meet consumer demand. (ISO Newswire)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Chart: In the EU, wind and solar surpass fossil fuels for first time — Dan McCarthy & Ysabelle Kempe

• Tesla launches its own solar panel as its EV business falters — Julian Spector

• After Trump’s clean-energy clawback, tribes​‘turn and face the storm’ — Jeff St. John

• European nations are jointly plotting a massive offshore wind buildout — Alexander C. Kaufman

• Startup unveils heat battery it says can decarbonize almost any factory — Maria Gallucci

• Is solar really overrunning farmland? Data in North Carolina says no. — Elizabeth Ouzts