The developers of the up to 800MW Bay State Wind offshore project off the coast of Massachusetts have made changes to the proposed layout of the turbines.
Orsted and Eversource said the new plan is in response to feedback from fishermen and community members.
The new layout proposes turbines located in rows running east-to west, the preferred orientation for fishing.
It also includes an average of one nautical mile between turbine rows to create fishing corridors, they said.
The original plan, which had an irregular pattern for the turbine layout, could have made fishing in and transiting through the wind farm area difficult, especially in bad weather or while towing or setting gear.
Orsted North America president Thomas Brostrom said: “We are committed to being strong partners with New England’s fishing industry and our neighbours in local communities.
“As we continue to design sustainable energy for the state, we have taken steps to make the layout of wind turbines more fishing friendly while maintaining energy optimisation.
“We will continue to work with agencies, stakeholders and other developers towards a clean energy future.”
Orsted and Eversource aim to submit a construction and operations plan to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in early 2019, which will include the updated turbine layout.
Image: reNEWS
Bay State rejigs turbine layout
By EBS