'Energy heroes': New documentary highlights efforts to bring clean energy to Somerset

SOMERSET — A new documentary highlights the successful fight to bring offshore wind energy to Somerset, as the town works to move past its history of relying on the former Brayton Point coal-fired power plant and into the future of renewable energy.

“The more I got into the story, the more I realized that Somerset is a microcosm for the entire United States with its energy history,” said Kiki Goshay.

Goshay is the director and producer of Empowered, a documentary series about innovations in the movement to end the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy sources.

She said she wanted to highlight exciting, positive achievements.

“I’ve been involved in environmental nonprofit work that has to do with educating people about the need to get away from fossil fuels, and it can be very depressing,” she said. “People don’t realize that we have these solutions and there’s really a lot to be excited about.”

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So when she heard about Somerset’s story, it jumped out to her immediately, she said.

The former power plant on Somerset’s Brayton Point closed in 2017. The site will now be transformed into the Massachusetts’ first offshore wind manufacturing facility, with plans for it to manufacture submarine power cables for both the Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind offshore wind projects. The investment of up to $300 million by Prysmian, the company behind the facility, will bring as many as 250 high-paying jobs to the area, officials have said.

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The coal power plant’s closure was a massive hit to Somerset’s town income. And the journey to bringing wind energy to the area has been an arduous process.

“It was painful, painful for the town and for people to lose the plant, but hopefully this will be something that’s sustainable that’s bringing in money for the town for forever,” said Goshay. “This is joyful.”

The third episode of Empowered, called "Winds of Change," centers on Somerset and the efforts to get the town involved in the wind energy business. Specifically, Goshay said she wanted to focus on the impact of policy. Other interviews for the documentary have highlighted exciting new technologies that are ready to be used, but many people told her that government policy was the main roadblock to rolling them out, she said.

“(Somerset) is going to be a place that everyone is looking to,” she said.

Much of the episode focusing on Somerset deals with Rep. Patricia Haddad, whose 5th District includes her hometown of Somerset, and her efforts in the State House to bring offshore wind to the area. A bill she co-wrote that mandated that the state procure offshore wind energy was instrumental in bring the industry to Somerset. Goshay referred to her and others she interviewed as “energy heroes.”

“She isn’t an environmentalist, she isn’t a scientist. She just wanted what was best for her town,” she said of Haddad.

Former Somerset Selectman Holly McNamara was also interviewed for the documentary because of her efforts during her time as a selectman to move the town toward wind energy.

She recounted to The Herald News how a longer review process for renewable energy projects imposed by the Trump administration put the project in jeopardy.

“The project’s back on; wind’s full steam ahead. The state fully embraces it and supports the project,” she said. “So I think this is a huge step forward not only for the community but for the entire country… this is a huge step and we’re, I feel, at the forefront of clean energy across the nation.”

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McNamara said she hopes residents of other communities reach out to people like her from Somerset to learn about how they can get their own towns involved in the transition to renewable energy. The documentary can help raise awareness of how involved the process is, and what’s possible, she said.

“It’ll definitely keep the conversation going,” she said.

There was a premiere screening of "Winds of Change" and a Q&A with filmmakers and some of the people interviewed on Tuesday, May 10, at Somerset Berkley Regional High School.

Audrey Cooney can be reached at acooney@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Documentary highlights efforts to bring clean wind energy to Somerset