Biden Administration Approves Eighth Offshore Wind Project

The Biden Administration has given the green light to its eighth offshore wind project with the approval of the 2,600-megawatt New England Wind project located off Massachusetts.

With the approval, the Department of the Interior has now given the go-ahead to offshore wind projects with the potential to generate approximately 10 gigawatts of clean energy, which is enough to supply nearly four million homes.

“The Biden-Harris administration has built an offshore wind industry from the ground up after years of delay from the previous administration. Today, we celebrate the incredible progress being made toward achieving our goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” said Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “The New England Wind project will help lower consumer costs, combat climate change, create jobs to support families, and?ensure economic opportunities are accessible to all communities.”

The Park City Wind project, proposed by Avangrid, Inc., Connecticut-based company, is located approximately 20 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The two-phased project plan includes up to 129 wind turbine generators.

In February 2024, BOEM unveiled the final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed New England Wind project. This statement assesses the potential environmental impacts of the project’s construction and operations plan and has the potential to generate up to 2,600 megawatts of renewable electricity, which could power over 900,000 homes.

The two phases include the 791 Megawatt New England Wind 1 project and the 1,080 Megawatt New England Wind 2. The project will use facilities in Salem, New Bedford, and Bridgeport for various operations.

Since the start of the Biden Administration, BOEM has held four offshore wind lease auctions, generating nearly $5.5 billion in high bids. This includes record-breaking sales offshore New York and New Jersey, and first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The Department is also exploring additional opportunities for offshore wind energy development in the U.S., and is taking steps towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.

Today’s approval continues the Biden Administration’s commitment to advancing offshore wind projects, with previous approvals including:

1. Vineyard Wind, 800-megawatt, Massachusetts, May 2021
2. South Fork Wind, 130-megawatt, New York November 2021
3. Ocean Wind 1, 1,100 megawatt, New Jersey, July 2023
4. Revolution Wind, 704-megawatt, Rhode Island, August 2023
5. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), 2,600 megawatt, Virginia, October 2023
6. Empire Wind (1 and 2), 2,076 megawatt, New York, November 2023
7. Sunrise Wind, 924-megawatt, New York, March 2024

The first two projects approved, the Vineyard Wind and South Fork, started delivering power in January and March of this year, respectively.

“With the approval of the New England Wind project, we have now approved more than 10 gigawatts of offshore wind projects in under three years,” said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein. “BOEM is proud of our open communication and frequent collaboration with federal partners, Tribal Nations, states, industry and ocean users to shape project reviews and avoid or minimize conflict with existing users and marine life.”

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