Stock Photo: Ian Dyball/Shutterstock
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the completion of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed SouthCoast Wind Project, marking a crucial step towards the potential approval of an offshore wind project that could generate up to 2.4 GW of clean energy, enough to power over 800,000 homes.
“Tribal nations, federal and state agencies, local communities, ocean users, and key stakeholders have been instrumental in informing BOEM’s detailed environmental review of the proposed SouthCoast Wind Project,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. The achievement represents “another major milestone in the administration’s commitment to achieving clean energy objectives that will benefit local communities,” she added.
The SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC proposal is ambitious in scope, featuring up to 147 wind turbine generators and five offshore substation platforms. The project’s lease area spans approximately 127,388 acres, situated 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The plan also includes up to eight offshore export cables that could make landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Public engagement has been a key component of the review process. BOEM conducted a 60-day public comment period from February to April 2023, during which three virtual public meetings were held. The agency received 182 comments, which played a crucial role in shaping the final EIS.
The SouthCoast Wind Project is part of a broader push for offshore wind development under the outgoing Biden-Harris administration. Under the current administration, the Department of the Interior has already approved more than 15 GW of clean energy from ten offshore wind projects, capable of powering nearly 5.25 million homes. Additionally, six offshore wind lease auctions have been held, including record-breaking sales off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, and first-ever sales in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico.
However, the future of offshore wind development faces potential challenges. President-Elect Donald Trump has vowed to issue a “day one” executive order targeting offshore wind development, although specific details remain unclear. While Trump’s plans are not yet known, experts suggest that a president could potentially order a new study on the impact of offshore wind and halt the permitting of new projects in the interim.
The final step in the process will be the publication of the “Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC’s Proposed SouthCoast Wind Energy Project Offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island” in the Federal Register on November 15, 2024.
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