WASHINGTON (AP) – A massive wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts is moving closer to federal approval and, what the Biden administration hopes, sets a model for a surge in offshore wind development along the East Coast.
The Vineyard Wind Projectsouth of Martha’s Vineyard off Cape Cod, would generate 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 New England homes. If approved, the $ 2 billion project would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. A smaller wind farm operates near Block Island in waters controlled by the State of Rhode Island.
Vineyard Wind is significantly further offshore than Cape Wind, an earlier Massachusetts offshore wind project that famously failed amid opposition from the Kennedy family and businessman William Koch, who found it an eyesore for birds in their views of the ocean.
Proponents say that Vineyard Wind, located nearly 15 miles offshore, is better located than Cape Wind and uses superior technology with fewer and larger turbine blades. In a preferred alternative, the project’s gigantic turbines will be at least 1 nautical mile apart, allowing fishing boats to move around the blades more easily, officials said.
The Interior Department said Monday it has completed an environmental review of Vineyard Wind, with a decision on whether or not to approve the project, which is expected to take place next month.
President Joe Biden has vowed to double offshore wind production by 2030 as part of his government’s efforts to slow climate changeThe likely approval of Vineyard Wind – one of two dozen offshore wind projects along the East Coast at various stages of development – marks a sharp turnaround of the Trump administration, hampering wind power both on land and in the ocean.
As president, Donald Trump often mocked wind power as an expensive way to slaughter birds to make electricity, and his government opposed or opposed wind projects across the country, including Vineyard Wind.
The developer of the project temporarily withdrew his application late last year in an effort to avoid possible rejection by the Trump administration. Shortly after taking office in January, Biden provided a new opening for the project.
“The United States is poised to become a global leader in clean energy,” said Laura Daniel Davis, a senior Internal Affairs official.
Vineyard Wind, slated to become operational in 2023, is the first of many offshore wind projects that will help the nation “combat climate change, improve resilience through reliable energy, and boost economic development to create high-paying jobs. said Amanda Lefton. , director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an Office of the Interior that oversees the project.
“The Biden government is bringing the wind back into the sails of this pivotal new industry,” said Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., A longtime cheerleader for the Vineyard Wind project. “Responsible development of wind off our coast (will) power the economy, provide affordable electricity and move us further towards a climate-safe future,” said Markey.
Despite the enthusiasm, the development of offshore wind in the US is still in its infancy, far behind the progress of countries in Europe. In addition to the Block Island project, there is a small wind farm off the coast of Virginia.
Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind, said in a statement that the company looks forward to “reaching the final step in the federal licensing process and launching an industry that has such tremendous potential for economic development in East Coast communities.”
The renewable energy sector believes that Biden’s administration represents a tremendous opportunity for growth, especially in accelerating offshore wind projects that the industry has long been seeking.
“The offshore industry is about to take off,” said Amy Farrell, senior vice president of the American Clean Power Association, a renewable energy trade group. The group expects to build 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy over the next ten years.
Wind developers are poised to create tens of thousands of jobs and generate more than $ 100 billion in new investment by 2030, “but the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must open the door to new leasing first,” said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean. Industries Association, another trade group.
Not everyone welcomes the rise of offshore wind.
Andrew Minkiewicz, an attorney for the Fisheries Survival Fund, which advocates for scallop fishing, said the group is concerned about the Trump administration’s abrupt shift in attitudes to Biden.
The project appeared to be dead – or at least on an indefinite hiatus – as recently as last year, “and the new government comes in and says no, we’re going ahead,” Minkiewicz said. “If this wasn’t a clean energy project, I think there would be an absolute shake-up.”
Fishery groups from Maine to Florida have expressed fear that large offshore wind projects could ban vast areas of the ocean from their catch. While Vineyard Wind is not in an area critical to scallop fishing, other potential locations along the Atlantic coast could pose a major threat to scallops, Minkiewicz said.
Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.