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A US Department of the Interior agency announced 8 March it has
completed an environmental review of what would be the nation's
largest commercial-scale offshore wind project when completed.
Vineyard Wind's proposed 800 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm,
which the agency said is slated for completion in the second
quarter of 2024, would be located some 12 nautical miles off the
coasts of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts.
Receiving a final environmental impact
statement from the US Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) brings
Vineyard Wind one step closer towards construction.
The next step for BOEM, which is Interior's lead agency for
overseeing the offshore wind development process, is to coordinate
with other federal agencies, notably the US Army Corps of Engineers
and the National Marine Fisheries, on signing off on the final
record of decision that will either disapprove or approve the
proposed offshore project with changes. This decision is due 30
days from the date the final environmental review is published in
the Federal Register.
As part of the environmental review, BOEM had to determine
whether the facility met renewable energy needs in New England.
According to the project developers, the facility would provide
enough electricity to power more than 400,000 homes and businesses
in Massachusetts, and reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6
million metric tons per year.
BOEM evaluated various construction scenarios, but leaned toward
one with 84 wind turbines installed in 100 of the 106 locations
identified by the developer.
Since Vineyard Wind submitted its application in 2017, it has
been trying to get federal approval for the project. The developer
said the offshore project has already received the relevant permits
from Massachusetts as well as regional and local bodies.
In December 2020, Vineyard Wind asked BOEM to halt its review
process after the Trump administration indicated the developer
would have to start the permitting process again because it was
seeking to use a larger-sized turbine than identified in its
original application. Many observers saw this move by the prior
administration as a stalling tactic.
Under the Biden administration, which is seeing offshore wind as
one approach to decarbonizing the US power sector, BOEM's
environmental review of Vineyard Wind resumed in February.
Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a
subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
(CIP).
"More than three years of federal review and public comment is
nearing its conclusion and 2021 is poised to be a momentous year
for our project and the broader offshore wind industry," Lars
Pedersen, Vineyard Wind chief executive officer said in an 8 March
statement.
Likewise, Avangrid CEO Dennis Arriola said the review has
brought the project one step closer to realizing what he called a
historical clean energy project.
To date, there are only two offshore facilities in the US: the
30-MW, five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island waters;
and the 12-MW, two-turbine Dominion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind
pilot in federal waters off the Virginia coast.
The Sierra Club said 8 March that BOEM's thorough environmental
review of Vineyard Wind has not only set up a workable framework
for Massachusetts' first offshore wind farm, but also established
"a proven model for other offshore wind energy developments along
the East Coast to replicate."
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) lauded BOEM's action
in a 9 March statement.
"By any measure, this is a breakthrough for offshore wind energy
in the United States," Heather Zichal, ACP chief executive officer,
said, adding, "Not even two months into a new Administration, years
of delay have finally culminated in a thorough analysis that should
soon put this infrastructure investment on its way to generating
clean power for the region and creating good jobs at home."
Likewise, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Samuel De Bow, who now serves an
advisor to Dawson & Associates, an environmental consulting
firm, said BOEM's action is a positive sign that the Biden
administration is serious about pursuing offshore wind energy and
about expediting the permitting process.
"I think this is a sign the administration said they would
accomplish this review, and in march they came out with it," De Bow
told IHS Markit 9 March.
IHS Markit analysis of data
show at least 21.9 GW related to 21 offshore wind projects dotting
the US Atlantic Coast in varying stages of permitting, planning,
and construction.
Each of the projects that are currently pending approval have to
go through the standard permitting process, with the agencies that
still have to evaluate the environmental impacts, including the
effects on on marine mammals and birds. Thoes reviews aren't going
away. The key is whether the administration is able to streamline
this process, he added.
"Timely reviews are essential A lot of capital is caught up in
these projects that is waiting to be utilized," De Bow said.
Posted 08 March 2021 by Amena Saiyid, Senior Climate and Energy Research Analyst
