Interior Sec. Deb Haaland and Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo today announced the approval of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off Massachusetts, with the administration touting it as “the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States” and a “major milestone” that will “propel America’s drive toward a clean energy future.” A joint Interior-US Army Corps of Engineers-National Marine Fisheries Service Record of Decision was formally published on Friday.
The project, which involves an 800 megawatt wind energy facility located ~12 nautical miles off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, will include up to 84 wind turbine generators in water depths of 121-161 feet, one or two offshore substations or electrical service platforms, and one export cable landfall near Barnstable, MA.
Sec. Haaland called the development “an important step toward advancing the Administration’s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation,” while Sec. Raimondo said that the announcement “demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis, while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad.”
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Amanda Lefton added that the project “represents the power of a government-wide approach to offshore wind permitting, taking stakeholder ideas and concerns into consideration every step of the way,” stating that the agency “will continue to advance new projects that will incorporate lessons learned from analyzing this project to ensure an efficient and predictable process for industry and stakeholders.”
