Biden Administration Approves 11th Offshore Wind Project

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved the 2.4-gigawatt (GW) SouthCoast Wind Project, raising the total capacity of federally approved offshore wind power projects to over 19 GW.

The project owned by a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE received a positive Record of Decision, the DOI said in an online statement. A Record of Decision is an initial approval. The project still needs to obtain DOI approval for its development plan.

SouthCoast Wind spans 127,388 acres about 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

It can power over 840,000 homes, the DOI said. Meanwhile, across the U.S., approved offshore wind projects now represent potential electricity enough for more than six million homes, according to the DOI.

The newly approved project is expected to have 141 wind turbine generators, up to five offshore substation platforms and up to eight offshore export cables potentially making landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, Massachusetts.

“Compared to SouthCoast’s original proposed project, the selected alternative removes up to six wind turbine positions in the northeastern portion of the Lease Area to reduce potential impacts on foraging habitat and potential displacement of wildlife from this habitat adjacent to Nantucket Shoals”, the DOI said.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said, “When we walked in the door of this Administration, there were zero approved, commercial-scale offshore wind projects in federal waters”.

Elizabeth Klein, director of DOI sub-agency Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said, “To help inform our decisions, our environmental reviews continue to integrate leading scientific research with key insights from Tribal Nations, states, other government agencies, industry, environmental groups, and ocean users”.

The DOI said, “In addition to the approval of the nation's first 11 commercial-scale offshore wind projects, BOEM has held six offshore wind lease auctions since 2022 – including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Gulf of Maine coasts”.

On April 24 Haaland announced a new five-year offshore wind leasing plan for the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific and U.S. territories. Four awards are planned for 2024, one each for 2025 and 2026, two for 2027 and four for 2028. 

“The Department has also taken steps to grow a sustainable offshore wind industry by encouraging the use of project labor agreements, strengthening workforce training, bolstering a domestic supply chain, and through enhanced engagement with Tribes, fisheries, underserved communities and ocean users”, the DOI added.

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