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In the 11th hour, the Biden administration approved its 11th offshore wind project, SouthCoast Wind, greenlighting the installation of up to 141 turbines south of Martha’s Vineyard.
The project approval comes just ahead of the second Trump presidency, which, at worst, is expected to be hostile to offshore wind, and, at best, to slow progress and permitting that accelerated during the last four years.
The record of decision issued Friday is a joint decision by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, NOAA Fisheries, and the Army Corps of Engineers.
SouthCoast Wind is awaiting one more major permitting approval — its construction and operations plan (COP) — but Friday’s decision includes a section on “anticipated” COP approval (with BOEM experts recommending it be approved). The federal government’s permitting dashboard lists March 2025 as the expected completion date for the COP review.
“[Record of decision] brings us a step closer to delivering abundant, domestic energy to New England’s homes and businesses,” said SouthCoast Wind CEO Michael Brown in a statement. “We are grateful to BOEM, and their many partners … and to the many communities and partners who have provided valuable input into building a renewable energy economy that benefits so many.”
Asked what can be expected to happen next, SouthCoast Wind provided a general statement to The Light that it anticipates the project “will continue to move forward as planned.” It is unclear when construction would start at the site, which sits southeast to Vineyard Wind.
Massachusetts is still negotiating contracts to purchase power for the project. The state bid for 1,000 megawatts out of the 1,200-megawatt project, with Rhode Island bidding for the remaining power.
“The approval of the SouthCoast Wind Project today demonstrates the strength of our collaborative process to deploy offshore wind,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein in a statement. “We look forward to the meaningful economic opportunities the SouthCoast Wind Project will bring to this region, both during construction and throughout the project’s lifetime.”
SouthCoast Wind plans to use the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to stage the major turbine components (as Vineyard Wind has been doing), and the New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal for long-term project operations and maintenance.
The project, if built to full capacity, could generate up to 2.4 gigawatts of energy for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, or enough to power more than 840,000 homes. The lease area covers approximately 127,388 acres of ocean, and is set to be developed in two stages.
Compared to SouthCoast’s original proposal, the selected project alternative removes up to six wind turbine positions in the northeastern portion of the lease to reduce potential impacts on the Nantucket Shoals, a critical foraging habitat for species, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
The Light was the first to report concerns by federal officials in 2022 about the impacts offshore wind development adjacent to the shoals could have on the right whale. As such, a federal scientist proposed a “conservation buffer” zone — or area of no wind turbines — of about 10 nautical miles adjacent to the shoals.
NOAA had also submitted comment to BOEM recommending the agency include a project alternative of no turbines in a northern portion of the lease.
The Interior Department notes in its final decision, however, that moderate adverse impacts to the right whale are still expected.
As part of project approval, wind developers are required to adopt measures to minimize or mitigate impacts to marine resources during construction.
For commercial fishing, BOEM estimates the impacts will range from “minor to major adverse, depending on the fishery and fishing operation.” BOEM is requiring SouthCoast Wind to establish and implement a gear loss and fisheries compensation fund for affected fishermen.
In the fallout of the Vineyard Wind blade failure, Nantucket residents and town officials are pushing back against other wind projects, and they’ve recently set their sights on SouthCoast Wind. They argue the proposed agreements with the state do not sufficiently protect Nantucket’s historic resources or account for potential negative impacts from the project, which will lie about 10 miles south of Vineyard Wind.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
Good, just one more expense President Trump can & will terminate just as easily as the Biden circus approved it. I can’t wait for January 20, 2025 and the four years that follow to correct everything the Biden Administration of Fools has ruined in America.
Polluting the ocean with Chinese made junk, affecting the fishing industry, making our electric bills rise, and the state owns this terminal (the companies use it for free, and do not contribute to or help the city’s tax base). Pull the plug on all wind projects.
Solar and wind 🔋 are the future energy sources to power,America. Putting a slab of glass on your roof that uses the power of the sun wout a meter results in LESS not MORE energy costs That’s why Europe has it everywhere and China is the leading developer of Solar and Wind.Our task is not to attack them but to learn and compete w them.My neighbors family was paying $ 500 w local electric co..now with Solar 200..you tell me who’s providing whom w cheaper energy. Yes state did build Foss piers that are bringing jobs and energy to New Bedford whose future as a fishing Capitol and processing center is not threated by ” Chinese junk” but by the MAGA threats to deport the undocumented work force which everyday processes fish for our country.Ths is NOT a pro economic policy it is an anti immigrant one that will devastate the city !
The New Bedford fishing industry is a dinosaur and will go with the illegal immigrants, we certainly don’t need either. New Bedford has increased housing prices with increased taxes, water & sewer rates and insurance rates and low wage workers will be dispatched, or deported soon. Low income prices with low income residents attract additional low income residents which does nothing positive for homeowners and other residents.
Illegal immigrants are currently sharing apartments with 2 other families, they know the end is near, you should understand, and realize the same ending is on the horizon.
A fishing industry that cuts wages, breaks unions, and employees low wage illegal immigrants who use our emergency room, and schools to educate their children offers nothing to the city or state, Trump will put the final nail in that coffin, hopefully sooner than later.
Wind farms are being built by private companies without taxpayer financing. In fact, the companies paid millions of dollars to lease the wind farm area, so taxpayers are actually making money on the offshore wind farms. To those who object to them, I suggest you volunteer to have a coal-fired power plant built next door to your house.
Nuclear Power is completely clean, nobody is advocating for coal fired power plants, but wind power is far more expensive than anything, why do you think CT backed out of the Tri-State deal? Healy, the liberal socialist couldn’t care less what you pay for power, she just wants clean energy at any cost to MA rate payers, and when they ban hearing oil & natural gas, and can’t afford to generate enough electricity with unpredictable solar & wind energy, and have to buy it from other states, you’ll be wishing you opposed it.
Thank God President Trump will kill that project, the only people who benefit from alternative energy are the manufacturing companies building solar panels, wind turbines, installers, and the power companies selling alternative energy, and the reason those costs will be higher than fossil fuels is due to initial costs, and advertising needed to recoup the initial investment.
The only people forcing alternative power are Democrats who bought the “Climate Crisis” fantasy, and the only people dumb enough to force customers into unaffordable, unproven EV’s, are Biden and the rich Democrats who also bought the lie. Take a look at China, their building coal fired, and nuclear power pants as fast as they need them, and without a class dome over America, you’ll be breathing the same air China, and other nations as the earth revolves and the winds carry everything from west to east except in hurricanes :-).
Wait until you see the costs of wind powered electricity, CT didn’t back out of the Tri-state agreement for no reason….stay tuned.