The US government has announced its approval of Avangrid’s 2600MW New England Wind offshore wind project.
With today’s approval, the Department of the Interior has approved more than 10GW capacity from offshore wind projects – enough to power nearly 4m homes, it said.
“The Biden-Harris administration has built an offshore wind industry from the ground up after years of delay from the previous administration. Today, we celebrate the incredible progress being made toward achieving our goal of 30GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.
“The New England Wind project will help lower consumer costs, combat climate change, create jobs to support families, and ensure economic opportunities are accessible to all communities.”
Avangrid chief executive Pedro Azagra said: “The Record of Decision issued by the Biden Administration today represents a historic step toward the future of offshore wind in the United States.
“The Biden Administration, Secretary Haaland, and BOEM all deserve immense credit for their thorough and rigorous review of New England Wind, as well as their decisive action to move the nation’s clean energy and climate goals forward.
“With this federal approval, New England Wind stands apart as the most advanced and shovel-ready offshore wind opportunity in the north-east region.
“We are grateful to our many supporters and stakeholders that participated in the federal permitting process, and look forward to continued engagement as we work to bring thousands of well-paying jobs and clean, reliable power to New England.”
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) director Elizabeth Klein said: “With the approval of the New England Wind project, we have now approved more than 10GW of offshore wind projects in under three years.
“BOEM is proud of our open communication and frequent collaboration with federal partners, Tribal Nations, states, industry and ocean users to shape project reviews and avoid or minimize conflict with existing users and marine life.”
President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi added: “Because of President Biden’s vision and leadership, we’ve made remarkable progress scaling-up America’s offshore wind industry – with eight large-scale offshore wind projects now approved under this Administration, totalling more than 10GW.
“Today’s approval of New England Wind continues a surge of momentum that the Biden-Harris administration is delivering to grow the American offshore wind industry, power millions of American homes with clean energy, and create good-paying, climate jobs.
“Just last month, we approved the seventh offshore wind project and expanded pathways for offshore wind projects to be eligible for the Energy Communities tax credit bonus.
“We will continue to use every available tool to ensure America leads the future of the offshore wind industry.
“This is a win-win-win for workers, communities, and our ability to tackle the climate crisis.”
Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, BOEM has held four offshore wind lease auctions which have brought in almost $5.5bn in high bids, including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and New Jersey, and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
BOEM has also advanced the process to explore additional opportunities for offshore wind energy development in the US, including in the Gulf of Maine and offshore Oregon and the US Central Atlantic coast. The department has also taken steps to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.
The New England Wind project is expected to generate up to 2.6GW of electricity, enough to power more than 900,000 homes. The project is situated approximately 20 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and about 24 nautical miles south-west of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Park City Wind, LLC proposed a two-phased project plan comprising up to 129 wind turbine generators (WTGs), with up to five offshore export cables transmitting electricity to onshore transmission systems in the Town of Barnstable and Bristol County, Massachusetts.
On 26 February, BOEM announced the final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for the proposed New England Wind project. During a 60-day public comment period, BOEM hosted three virtual public meetings to gather feedback on the Draft EIS from Tribal Nations, members of the public, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean stakeholders.
The “Notice of Availability of a Joint Record of Decision for the New England Wind Project and the New England Wind Offshore Export Cable Project” will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days.
For further information on the New England Wind project, visit BOEM’s website.