REM: US government launches environmental review of 2-2.3 GW offshore wind project off New England

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has initiated an environmental review of the construction and operations plan for the massive Vineyard Wind South offshore wind project off the north-eastern US.

If approved by BOEM, the owner Vineyard Wind would be allowed to construct and operate a project of approximately 2-2.3 GW off Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind is a joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables, owned by Iberdrola, the Spanish multinational electric utility.

The project would be developed in three phases. Phase One, known as Park City Wind, would contribute to Connecticut’s mandate of 2 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. Vineyard Wind has an 804-MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority for output from Park City Wind.

The proposed Vineyard Wind South project includes up to 130 wind turbines, two to five offshore substations, inter-array cables, and up to five export cables connecting to the onshore electric grid in Barnstable County, Massachusetts at up to three onshore substations.

The offshore wind sector, well-established in Europe, is just taking off in the US. Only 42 MW of offshore wind – two small projects – have been installed in the US so far.

The review of Vineyard Wind South is another sign that that America’s offshore wind sector is accelerating. A dozen major offshore wind projects are currently in permitting at BOEM.

By 2030, the United States is expected to become the third-largest region for offshore wind development after China and the United Kingdom, according to BloombergNEF.

BOEM director Amanda Lefton noted: “The Biden-Harris administration has set an ambitious target of 30 gigawatts of installed offshore wind energy by 2030, which will create nearly 80,000 jobs.

“By moving forward on this environmental review, we are making progress toward confronting climate change, creating good-paying jobs, and beginning the nation’s transition to a cleaner energy future.”

Earlier in June, BOEM had announced the start of a similar environmental review for Equinor's 816-MW Empire Wind project, to deliver power to New York.

Vineyard Wind is also developing the 800-MW eponymous Vineyard Wind project, off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Construction is expected to start within weeks.

Expected to be the nation’s first commercial-scale project once online in 2023, Vineyard Wind was green-lit in May when the Biden administration announced that the proposed project had secured its final permit.