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Vineyard Wind assesses fisheries

By: Matthew White 20/03/2018 Vineyard Wind

General Grid Windfarms

Vineyard Wind has entered into an agreement with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) to plan and conduct pre- and post-construction assessments of fisheries and associated ecological conditions. The two associated parties hope it will be used to help inform future permitting and public policy decisions regarding wind energy facility siting.

“The fishing industry has raised important questions about the impacts of offshore wind development on the marine environment and on sea life, and a comprehensive research effort is need to provide answers and identify possible solutions".said Erich Stephens, Chief Development Officer with Vineyard Wind. He further added to this by saying, “Our goal in collaborating with the School for Marine Science and Technology is to use our project, which we expect to be the first large-scale offshore wind project in the US, to begin to establish a robust body of knowledge that will benefit the American offshore wind industry and the fishing community for decades to come.”

SMAST Dean Steven Lohrenz noted “This assessment will help answer questions and provide information that can further the public understanding of potential impacts of offshore wind development and possible means of mitigation of any such impacts. The information would then be available to help inform future permitting and public policy decisions.”

Under terms of the collaboration, SMAST staff will try to undertake a scoping exercise by soliciting input from fisheries’ representatives, policy makers, regulators and academics beginning in the spring of 2018. The phase includes planning for assessment schedules, budgets and objectives. The objective of this scoping exercise is to identify the research questions most relevant and important for understanding how offshore wind and the fishing industry can grow alongside each other in the years to come.

Vineyard Wind stated it is committed to contributing additional funding for complete pre- and post-construction assessments by SMAST if it is selected by the MA Clean Energy judges to develop an offshore wind project.

In December, Vineyard Wind became the first of several competing projects to apply for federal and state construction permits by submitting applications with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities’ Energy Facilities Siting Board.

Vineyard Wind is the only proposed offshore wind project in Massachusetts that has begun the process of obtaining state and federal permits. The project is a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Avangrid Renewables. The offshore wind development company is based in New Bedford, Massachusetts and is currently developing a project with the aim to operate the first utility-scale project in US Waters. Its proposed project is to be located 14 miles (24km) off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts and cover 495km (122,405 acres) of the Atlantic Ocean. The developer submitted a proposal to construct the project with a capacity of up to 800MW, however it claims the site could host an array up to 1.6GW.

Massachusetts State Legislature enacted a Bill in summer 2016 which requires energy utilities to enter into renewable energy contracts for 1.6GW of renewables before 30th June 2027. Since the Bill was enacted, fierce competition for leasing rights off the coast of Massachusetts has erupted.

Other developers seeking right to develop wind farms off the Massachusetts coast include Ørsted and Eversource with their jointly owned Bay State Wind project as well as Deepwater Wind with its Revolution project.

Bay State Wind was recently designated as a covered project under Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41). It is the first and only offshore wind project, and one of only 38 infrastructure projects nationally, to receive FAST-41 status.

For more information please follow the links provided. Alternatively, click here to view the project on 4C Offshore's interactive map.

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Vineyard Wind assesses fisheries

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