WASHINGTON – Twenty years ago, it seemed as if the Cape and Islands were ready to tap into the wind off our shores and lead the nation into a new era of renewable energy.
Cape Wind, located in Nantucket Sound, faltered after a tortuous 16-year regulatory process, but on Tuesday Vineyard Wind received its final approval from the federal government and will become the nation’s first industrial-scale offshore wind farm.
Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced final approval of construction and operation for Vineyard Wind on Tuesday morning, clearing the way for construction to begin.
This offshore farm will create thousands of jobs, but also push the U.S. to catch up with its European competitors when it comes to producing clean energy.
US Vineyard wind farm approval welcomed
US federal approval of the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the US marks an historic day for the clean energy transition, advocates said May 11. Slated for construction off the coast of Massachusetts, the $2bn project will be the largest of its kind to be commissioned for US waters.
American Clean Power Association CEO Heather Zichal hailed the sanctioning as an historic step for the US energy sector.
“Now is the time to push forward on offshore wind, catch up to global competitors, and decarbonise our electric grid, so that the US can deliver economic and environmental benefits to our citizens and combat climate change,” she said.
The Vineyard Wind project, it said, was expected to generate 3,600 jobs and provide enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses.
The DOI added that a Record of Decision had granted Vineyard Wind final federal approval to install 84 or fewer turbines off Massachusetts as part of an 800-megawatt offshore wind energy facility.
According to the Vineyard Wind team, the facility will use GE Renewable Energy s huge Haliade-X turbines, which will mean only 62 will actually be required.
Vineyard Wind is a 50-50 joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables. The latter is a subsidiary of Avangrid, which is part of the Iberdrola Group, a major utility headquartered in Spain.