US approves 2.4GW offshore wind project before Trump inauguration

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has given the final approval needed for the SouthCoast Wind project, formerly known as Mayflower Wind, only days before the offshore wind-slaying 47th US president entered the White House.

BOEM approved the wind farm’s construction and operations plan which is the final approval needed from the Bureau for the project.

This follows the US Department of the Interior approving SouthCoast Wind in late December. It is the country’s 11th commercial-scale offshore wind project with a capacity of 2.4GW, enough to power more than 840,000 homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The project area covers approximately 515 sq km and is around 48 km south of Martha’s Vineyard and 37 km south of Nantucket.

The approved project includes the construction of up to 141 wind turbine generators and up to five offshore substation platforms located at a maximum of 143 positions, and up to eight offshore export cables located in up to two corridors, 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 project is being developed by Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between EDP Renewables and Engie.

The timing of the final permit couldn’t be any better. Namely, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the man who will hold offshore wind’s fate for the next four years, revealed that offshore wind projects in the US can continue if already approved.

This is a good development for those projects since Trump, who will be sworn in today as the next president of the US, stated that the US will have a policy “where no windmills are being built” during his presidency.

Trump also requested a draft of an executive order set to freeze offshore wind activities for six months. Details of the draft came to light last week and its provisions could heavily damage the industry if they come to pass.