"With the approval of the New England Wind project, we have now approved more than 10 gigawatts of offshore wind projects in under three years," said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein. "BOEM is proud of our open communication and frequent collaboration with federal partners, Tribal Nations, states, industry and ocean users to shape project reviews and avoid or minimize conflict with existing users and marine life.”
In addition to this latest milestone, since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, BOEM has held four offshore wind lease auctions which have brought in almost $5.5 billion in high bids, including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and New Jersey, and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
BOEM has also advanced the process to explore additional opportunities for offshore wind energy development in the U.S., including in the Gulf of Maine and offshore Oregon and the U.S. Central Atlantic coast. The Department has also taken steps to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.
The New England Wind project is expected to generate up to 2,600 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 900,000 homes with clean renewable energy. The project is situated approximately 20 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and about 24 nm southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Park City Wind, LLC proposed a two-phased project plan comprising up to 129 wind turbine generators (WTGs), with up to five offshore export cables transmitting electricity to onshore transmission systems in the Town of Barnstable and Bristol County, Massachusetts.
On Feb. 26, 2024, BOEM announced the final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for the proposed New England Wind project, which analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the activities outlined in the project’s construction and operations plan and considers reasonable alternatives. During a 60-day public comment period, BOEM hosted three virtual public meetings to gather feedback on the Draft EIS from Tribal Nations, members of the public, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean stakeholders.
The “Notice of Availability of a Joint Record of Decision for the New England Wind Project and the New England Wind Offshore Export Cable Project” will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days.
