The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have approved the SouthCoast Wind Project, a 2.4 GW offshore wind development covering over 125,000 acres approximately 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nm south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The project, as authorized, includes the construction of up to 141 wind turbines and as many as 5 offshore substation platforms situated at a maximum of 143 locations, along with as many as eight offshore export cables that may make landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, Massachusetts.
In contrast to SouthCoast’s initial proposed project, the selected alternative eliminates up to six wind turbine locations in the northeastern section of the lease area to lessen possible impacts on foraging areas and potential displacement of wildlife from these habitats adjacent to Nantucket Shoals.
In November, BOEM released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed project, which assessed the possible environmental effects of the activities described in the project’s construction and operations plan and took into account reasonable alternatives. BOEM conducted three virtual public meetings in March 2023 to gather vital feedback on the SouthCoast Wind draft EIS from Tribal Nations, local community members, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean users. BOEM implemented necessary measures to avoid, reduce, and mitigate the project’s potential environmental effects, based on the thorough analysis and feedback received during the environmental review process.
SouthCoast Wind is the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project granted approval under President Joe Biden.
For additional details on SouthCoast Wind, visit BOEM’s website.
Image credit BOEM @ X
