The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will begin conducting an environmental review of the construction and operations plan (COP) for the Vineyard Wind South offshore wind project off the US.
If approved by BOEM, Vineyard Wind would be allowed to construct and operate an approximately 2-2.3GW offshore wind project off Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which would be developed in phases.
Phase 1, called Park City Wind, would contribute to Connecticut’s mandate of 2GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, through Vineyard Wind’s 804MW power purchase agreement with Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
“The Biden-Harris administration has set an ambitious target of 30GW of installed offshore wind energy by 2030, which will create nearly 80,000 jobs,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton.
“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.”
The publication of the Notice of Intent (NoI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) opens a 30-day public comment period.
During this time, BOEM will hold three virtual public scoping meetings and accept comments to inform the preparation of the EIS.
The proposed Vineyard Wind South project includes up to 130 wind turbines, two to five offshore substations, array cables, and up to five export cables connecting to the onshore electric grid in Barnstable County, Massachusetts at up to three onshore substations.
BOEM’s scoping process is intended to identify what should be considered in the EIS.
Throughout the scoping process, there will be “multiple opportunities” to help BOEM determine the important resources and issues, reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigation measures to be analysed in the EIS.
The 30-day public comment period finishes on 30 July.