In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced its approval of the New England Wind Construction and Operations Plan (COP), which authorizes construction and operation of two wind energy projects. This is the final approval of these two projects from BOEM, following the agency’s April 2024 Record of Decision.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to advancing offshore wind energy projects like New England Wind to create jobs, drive economic growth, and cut harmful climate pollution”, said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the New England Wind projects. They represent a major milestone in our efforts to expand clean energy production and combat climate change.”
The approval will permit the construction and operation of two offshore wind energy facilities, known as New England Wind 1 and New England Wind 2, which together will have a total capacity of up to 2,600 megawatts of clean, renewable energy that could power more than 900,000 homes each year.
The two projects are situated approximately 20 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and about 24 nm southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The COP for the two projects includes up to 129 wind turbine generators, up to five electric service platforms, and up to five offshore export cables transmitting electricity to onshore transmission systems in the Town of Barnstable and Bristol County, Massachusetts.
BOEM considered valuable feedback from Tribes, other government agencies, ocean users, and others prior to today’s milestone 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.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has approved eight commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects in federal waters, and BOEM has held four offshore wind lease sales, including offshore New York, New Jersey, the Carolinas, and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The Department recently announced a schedule of up to 12 additional lease sales through 2028 and continues to take steps to promote union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.
For more information about the New England Wind projects, visit BOEM’s website.
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The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.