Vineyard Wind project gets federal OK
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, three of Deepwater Wind s five turbines stand in the water off Block Island, R.I, the nation s first offshore wind farm. An offshore wind project off the island of Martha s Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast, that would create 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes, was approved by the federal government Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The Vineyard Wind project, south of Martha s Vineyard near Cape Cod, would be the first. Michael Dwyer
FILE In this Aug. 21, 2019 photo, people walk on Covell Beach, in Centerville, Mass., on the island of Martha s Vineyard. An offshore wind project off Massachusetts that would create 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes, was approved by the federal government Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The Vineyard Wind project, south of Martha s Vineyard near Cape Cod, would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. (AP Photo
Originally published on May 11, 2021 6:47 pm
The country’s first large-scale offshore wind project has cleared its final significant regulatory hurdle, bringing the long-anticipated U.S. offshore wind revolution one step closer to reality.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Interior Department announced it had approved Vineyard Wind’s plan to build an 800-megawatt wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. This so-called “Record of Decision” comes two months after the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed a final environmental review of the project.
This “is a significant milestone in our efforts to build a clean and more equitable energy future while addressing the climate emergency,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said during a press briefing Tuesday. “Offshore wind is a critical component of the president’s priorities, and it’s an important opportunity for growth in the United States.”
Federal government approves huge wind project off Massachusetts coast
This project and Ocean Wind, a proposed 1,100-megawatt offshore wind project off New Jersey, are keystones in the Biden administration s push to grow offshore wind as a way to fight climate change and create jobs.
By PATRICK WHITTLEAssociated Press
Share
Three wind turbines from the Deepwater Wind project stand off Block Island, R.I., in 2016. The federal government on Tuesday approved an offshore wind project off Martha s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
An offshore wind project off Massachusetts that would create enough electricity to power 400,000 homes and is touted by backers as a key piece of America’s transition to renewable energy was approved Tuesday by the federal government.
Print this article
The Biden administration has greenlighted the first major offshore wind project in federal waters, culminating a review process that saw delays and roadblocks during the Trump administration.
The Interior and Commerce departments authorized the construction of the Vineyard Wind project, an 800-megawatt wind project off the coast of Massachusetts, in a final
record of decision on Tuesday. The project could begin delivering power to roughly 400,000 homes on the East Coast in late 2022.
“The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.
May 11, 2021 2:28 PM EDT
An offshore wind project off Massachusetts that would create enough electricity to power 400,000 homes and is touted by backers as a key piece of America’s transition to renewable energy was approved Tuesday by the federal government.
The 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project, south of Martha’s Vineyard near Cape Cod, would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. The nearly $3 billion project is a critical part of the Biden administration’s plan to grow renewable energy in the U.S.
The approval of the project, which could be completed in about two years, came after decades of debate about the sustainability of U.S. offshore wind. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said the approval will create thousands of jobs and is a step toward President Joe Biden’s plan for 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.