US BOEM Grants Final Permit for 2.4-GW SouthCoast Wind

US BOEM Grants Final Permit for 2.4-GW SouthCoast Wind
A project to build up to 2.4 GW of wind power for Massachusetts and Rhode Island has obtained approval for its Construction and Operations Plan from BOEM.
Image by T.W. van Urk via iStock

A project to build up to 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of wind power for Massachusetts and Rhode Island has obtained approval for its Construction and Operations Plan from the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

SouthCoast Wind by Ocean Winds, a 50-50 venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, will be able to power over 840,000 homes, according to BOEM.

Located about 26 nautical south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the project comprises 141 wind turbine generators, up to five offshore substation platforms and up to eight offshore export cables. SouthCoast Wind spans nearly 130,000 acres, according to the Interior Department sub-agency.

“Compared to SouthCoast’s original proposed project, the selected alternative removes six wind turbine positions in the northeastern portion of the lease area to reduce potential impacts on foraging habitat and potential displacement of wildlife”, BOEM said in an online statement. It issued a positive Record of Decision, or an initial approval, last month.

“BOEM considered feedback from Tribal Nations, government agencies, ocean users, and other interested parties before reaching this decision. The feedback resulted in required measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any potential impacts from the project on marine life and other important ocean uses, such as fishing”.

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said, "Our offshore wind energy projects are opening doors to meaningful economic opportunities by generating jobs, boosting economic growth, and fighting climate change”.

SouthCoast has raised the total capacity of federally approved offshore wind power projects to over 19 GW.

The Biden administration has held six offshore wind lease auctions including for areas off the Carolinas, New Jersey, New York and the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.

On April 24, 2024, Interior Secretary Deb 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 were planned for 2024, one each for 2025 and 2026, two for 2027 and four for 2028.

Early this month BOEM issued a Call for Information and Nominations to help it decide on potential leasing areas for wind energy development offshore Guam.

The call concerns a contiguous area around the island that comprises about 2.1 million acres. The area’s water depths range from 350 meters (1,148.29 feet) to 2,200 meters (7,217.85 feet), BOEM said January 3, 2025.

Closing April 7, 2025, the comment period seeks “relevant information on site conditions, marine resources, and ocean uses near or within the call area”, the BOEM said. “Concurrently, wind energy companies can nominate specific areas they would like to see offered for leasing.

“During the call comment period, BOEM will engage with Indigenous Peoples, stakeholder organizations, ocean users, federal agencies, the government of Guam, and other parties to identify conflicts early in the process as BOEM seeks to identify areas where offshore wind development would have the least impact”.

The next step would be the identification of specific WEAs, or wind energy areas, in the larger call area. BOEM would then conduct environmental reviews of the WEAs in consultation with different stakeholders. “After completing its environmental reviews and consultations, BOEM may propose one or more competitive lease sales for areas within the WEAs”, BOEM said.

The U.S. aims to reach 30 GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030, toward at least 110 GW by 2050, as announced by the Energy Department March 29, 2021.

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com


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