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Record of decision for Vineyard Wind
Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm will be located 24km off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
Image courtesy of Vineyard Wind.
FIRST US COMMERCIAL SCALE OFFSHORE WIND FARM
VINEYARD WIND, A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN AVANGRID AND COPENHAGEN INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS (CIP), RECENTLY RECEIVED THE RECORD OF DECISION (ROD) FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT (BOEM), THE FINAL MAJOR STEP IN THE FEDERAL REVIEW PROCESS FOR THE FIRST COMMERCIAL SCALE OFFSHORE WIND FARM IN THE US.
Deme Offshore US will serve as contractor for the offshore transport and installation of the wind turbine generators.
Photo courtesy of Deme Group.
Today’s Record of Decision is not about the start of a single project, but the launch of a new industry,” says Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “Receiving this fnal major federal approval means the jobs, economic benefts and clean energy revoluton associated with the Vineyard Wind 1 project can fnally come to fruiton. It’s been a long road to get to this point, but ultmately, we are reaching the end of this process with the strongest possible project.” “We are very excited and proud to be part of the birth of an incredibly important new industry. The US ofshore wind is a key part of America’s clean energy future, and Vineyard Wind 1 is a major step forward to the clean and connected future we envision and work toward every day”, adds Dennis V. Arriola, CEO of Avangrid. “We appreciate the thorough review by BOEM as well as the considerable input from stakeholders. The broad engagement from many partes throughout this process has improved the project and positoned both Vineyard Wind 1 and the broader ofshore wind industry for long-term success.”
Vineyard Wind paves the way
Christan T. Skakkebæk, a Senior Partner and Co-founder of CIP, voices, “We are very proud to have been part of developing this landmark project. Vineyard Wind 1 is slated to become one of the world’s largest ofshore wind projects, creatng signifcant investments and good paying jobs in the US. For many years we have been actvely engaged in the development of the US ofshore wind market, and we are confdent that Vineyard Wind will pave the way for a successful and growing wind industry in the country. This market will play an important role for CIP’s renewable investments for years to come, and we look forward to being an integral part in the transiton to green energy in the US.” “Today’s approval of the Vineyard Wind ofshore project is a key step toward achieving the Biden Administraton’s goal of bringing 30GW of ofshore wind online by 2030, and GE is excited to support that goal by providing our Haliade-X turbines, the most powerful ofshore wind turbine built to date, for this project”, says John Lavelle, President & CEO, Ofshore
Wind at GE Renewable Energy. “Today’s decision is one more reason to be optmistc about the potental of ofshore wind in the US, an abundant source of clean, renewable energy that can help coastal communites address the threat of climate change and accelerate the energy transiton.”
Haliade X
Vineyard Wind 1 is an 800MW project located 24km of the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and will be the frst commercial scale ofshore wind project in the US. The project will generate electricity for more >>
The project design includes the world’s most powerful wind turbine, the GE Haliade-X, with a capacity of 13MW. (Photo: the prototype of the Haliade-X in the Port of Rotterdam.)
Photo courtesy of GE Renewable Energy.
than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusets, create 3,600 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) job years over the life of the project, save ratepayers USD1.4 billion over the frst 20 years of operaton, and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6t million per year. The project design includes the world’s most powerful wind turbine, the GE Haliade-X, with a capacity of 13MW. The larger turbine capacity has allowed the project to reduce the total number of turbines from 108 to 62 while stll delivering a total capacity of 800MW to Massachusets ratepayers. Deme Ofshore US will serve as contractor for the ofshore transport and installaton of the wind turbine generators. Deme is teaming up with FOSS Maritme Company that will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder vessels, a concept by which the wind turbines will be transported from the port of New Bedford to the specialised DEME Ofshore US installaton jack-up vessel. The DEME Ofshore US ofce in Massachusets will be the base of operatons for actvites for the Vineyard Wind project. Vineyard Wind will reach fnancial close in the second half of 2021 and begin delivering clean energy to Massachusets in 2023.
i. vineyardwind.com
Signifcant mitigation measures
Since 2017, the Vineyard Wind 1 project has been through an unprecedented and exhaustve public review process that generated more than 30,000 public comments, more than 90% of which supported the project. The Constructon and Operatons Plan (COP) was reviewed by more than two dozen federal, state, and local agencies over the course of more than three and a half years. In response to comments and direct engagement with neighbouring communites, environmental organisatons and advocates, fsheries organisatons, and governmental and tribal enttes, the project has incorporated signifcant mitgaton measures, including:
Historic protections for the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) • Commitment to invest millions of dollars to develop and deploy innovatve technologies and undertake scientfc research to further safeguard marine mammals. Last year, Vineyard Wind partnered with Greentown Labs to work with the startup community to innovatve technologies to the forefront. • Insttute comprehensive monitoring protocols to ensure that constructon doesn’t take place when
NARWs are near the lease area. The project will utlise acoustc monitoring technology throughout constructon including in transit corridors and will employ trained protectve species observers to spot NARW visually during transits and foundaton installaton. • Deploy industry leading technology to dampen constructon noise during installaton in order to protect the NARW and all marine species.
Substantial fsheries investment and mitigation funding • Agreements with the states of Massachusets and Rhode Island to provide millions to compensate fshermen for potental loss of revenue and gear and to enhance their ability to fsh in and around the lease area. • Commitment to contnue funding pre and post constructon survey studies with both the
University of Massachusets Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and the Massachusets Lobstermen’s Associaton (MLA) to measure what impact, if any, the wind farm is having on the marine environment.
Cultural and historical protections • Project will use an Aircraf Detecton Lightng System (ALDS) to ensure that nightme lights will only operate a few hours a year when aircrafs are present. • Turbines will be painted to reduce visual impacts to historical propertes. • Funds will be allocated to conduct ethnographic studies for local Natve American Tribes that will serve as the basis for submissions to the Natonal Register of Historic Places to allow for greater recogniton of tribal heritage sites.
