By Alex Kuffner
Providence Journal
WARWICK — The state Public Utilities Commission will not rule on the latest motion to dismiss a case for a power-purchase agreement between offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind and National Grid until the final day of proceedings, Aug. 11.
The commission held a hearing Tuesday morning on the motion from TransCanada Power, a Canadian energy company that says it can provide Rhode Island with renewable power at a far cheaper price than Deepwater. The decision to hold off on a ruling is consistent with the commission’s handling of two earlier dismissal motions, one from the Conservation Law Foundation and the other from Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.
The crux of TransCanada’s argument is that the Rhode Island law authorizing long-term contracts for clean energy unconstitutionally favors in-state projects and thereby interferes with interstate commerce. The company’s motion refers to two sections of the law. The preamble to the statute says that one of its goals is to facilitate clean power projects in Rhode Island and stimulate local economic development. The second section specifically requires that a small wind farm be built in state waters to supply electricity to Block Island.
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