Ken Kimmell is the Chief Development Officer for Offshore Wind at Avangrid, leading a team to develop new offshore wind business opportunities, secure offtake agreements, obtain federal, state and local approvals for Avangrid’s offshore wind projects, execute infrastructure and economic development partnerships, and ensure implementation of workforce and other commitments made by the projects. Ken has successfully permitted two large scale offshore wind farms in New England, secured leases from the federal government for two large offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Maine, and created a partnership with a nation leading admiralty company to redevelop a former coal plant site into a new marshalling port for offshore wind.
Prior to his position at Avangrid, Ken served as President of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a leading science-based nonprofit which works at the federal and state level to promote renewable energy policies. Prior to joining UCS in May 2014, Kimmell was the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). He has also served as General Counsel at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s administration, and in that capacity worked on state regulatory and siting policy to advance offshore and onshore wind projects. Ken also practiced law for 17 years as the director and senior attorney at a Boston-based law firm specializing in environmental, energy, and land-use issues. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University and his law degree at the University of California, Los Angeles.