SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind)

Efforts Underway 

On Feb. 13, 2023, BOEM announced the availability of the Draft EIS for the proposed SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind) project offshore Massachusetts. The Notice of Availability for the SouthCoast Wind DEIS was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 17, 2023. Public comments on the DEIS were received through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023.

The Final EIS is anticipated to be published in Fall 2024.  

Background

On December 13-14, 2018, BOEM held a competitive lease sale offshore Massachusetts. Southcoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind) was identified as the winner of Lease Area OCS-A 0521 (127,388 acres) located approximately 23 miles offshore Nantucket, Massachusetts in federal waters.  

SouthCoast Wind is in the environmental and technical review phase within BOEM’s authorization process. This project is covered under FAST-41 and permitting progress can be found on the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) dashboard.

For more information on this lease area, including Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meetings and lease history please visit the Massachusetts Activities page.  For more information on public meetings, please visit the Environmental Review tab. For up-to-date leasing information, including the original lease any lease amendments that may have occurred since initial lease execution, visit the Lease and Grants page. For more information on departure requests, visit the Departure Requests page.  

Related Announcements

BOEM Seeks Comment on Draft Environmental Analysis for Proposed Wind Energy Project Offshore Massachusetts (02/13/2023)

As required by the lease, SouthCoast Wind is required to develop a publicly available Fisheries Communications Plan.  

The Fisheries Communications Plan describes the strategies that the lessee intends to use for communicating with commercial and recreational fisheries prior to and during activities in support of the submission of a plan, such as a Site Assessment Plan or Construction and Operations Plan.  

The lessee's communication plan includes:

• Information on the distribution of the “Notice to Mariners” and other outreach and coordination efforts.  
• SouthCoast Wind’s Fisheries Liaison’s contact information.  
• An outline of the process to file complaints with SouthCoast Wind and seek replacement of or compensation for lost gear. 

On May 26, 2020, BOEM approved the Site Assessment Plan (SAP) for lease OCS-A 0521 submitted by SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind Energy LLC). The SAP approval allows for the deployment of one floating light detection and ranging (FLiDAR) buoy to assess meteorological and oceanographic conditions on lease area OCS-A 0521. For additional information, please find the approved SAP below:

• Site Assessment Plan
• Site Assessment Plan Approval Letter
• Conditions of SAP Approval

SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind) Construction and Operations Plan

SouthCoast Wind submitted its Construction and Operations Plan (COP) on February 16, 2021. Updated COP versions were submitted on August 30, 2021, October 29, 2021, March 17, 2022, August 9, 2022, December 22, 2022, and September 19, 2023. BOEM will review the COP and approve, disapprove, or approve with modifications to the proposed activities.

SouthCoast Wind intends to develop, build, and operate a commercial offshore wind energy facility capable of producing up to 2,400 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. The project is located within federal waters on the OCS, specifically in BOEM Renewable Energy Lease Area OCS-A 0521, approximately 23 miles offshore Massachusetts. 

• Mayflower COP Volume I
• Mayflower COP Volume II
   
• Appendix A - Agency Correspondence
• Appendix B - Certified Verification Agent - Confidential  
• Appendix C - Conceptual Project Design Drawings
• Appendix D1 - Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification
• Appendix D2 - Rhode Island Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification  
• Appendix E - Marine Site Investigation Report - Confidential
• Appendix F1 - Sediment Plume Impacts from Construction Activities    
• Appendix F2 - Scour Potential Impacts from Operational Phase and Post-Construction Infrastructure   
• Appendix F3 - Brayton Point Export Cable Hydrodynamic and Sediment Dispersion Model Report
• Appendix F4 - Nantucket Shoals Hydrodynamic Impacts Study
• Appendix G - Air Emissions Report - Confidential
• Appendix H - Water Quality Report    
• Appendix I1 - Avian Exposure Risk Assessment    
• Appendix I2 - Bat Risk Assessment   
• Appendix J - Terrestrial Vegetation and Wildlife Assessment Report  
• Appendix K - Seagrass and Macroalgae Report   
• Appendix L1 - Offshore Designated Protected Areas Report    
• Appendix L2 - Onshore Protected Lands Report    
• Appendix M - Benthic and Shellfish Resources Characterization Report
• Appendix N - Essential Fish Habitat and Protected Fish Species Assessment
• Appendix O - Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Monitoring and Mitigation Plan    
• Appendix P1 - Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Assessment for the Proposed Mayflower Wind Project    
• Appendix P2 - High Voltage Direct Current Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Assessment    
• Appendix Q - Marine Archaeological Resources Assessment
• Appendix R1 - Falmouth Phase 1A Public Summary
• Appendix R2 - Aquidneck Phase 1A 1B Public Summary
• Appendix R3 - Brayton Point Phase 1A Public Summary
• Appendix S1 - AVEHP Brayton Point Public Summary
• Appendix S2 - AVEHP Public Summary
• Appendix S3 – Nantucket Historic District HPTP - Confidential
• Appendix T - Visual Impact Assessment
• Appendix T1 - Cape Cod Onshore Simulations
• Appendix T2 - Martha's Vineyard Simulations
• Appendix T3 - Nantucket Simulations
• Appendix U1 - In-Air Acoustic Assessment Report
• Appendix U2 - Underwater Acoustic Modeling of Construction Sound and Animal Exposure Estimation
• Appendix V - Commercial and Recreational Fisheries and Fishing Activity Technical Report - Confidential
• Appendix W - Fisheries Communication Plan
• Appendix X - Navigation Safety Risk Assessment
• Appendix Y1 - Obstruction Evaluation & Airspace Analysis
• Appendix Y2 - Air Traffic Flow Analysis
• Appendix Y3 - Aircraft Detection Lighting System Efficacy Analysis
• Appendix Y4 - Radar and Navigational Aid Screening Study
• Appendix Z - Safety Management System - Confidential
• Appendix AA - Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP)
• Appendix BB - Economic Development Report - Confidential

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

On Feb. 13, 2023, BOEM announced the availability of the Draft EIS for the proposed SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind) project offshore Massachusetts. The Notice of Availability for the SouthCoast Wind Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 17, 2023. Public comments on the Draft EIS were received through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023. 

The following documents are available for your viewing.

• SouthCoast Wind DEIS Notice of Availability (Docket No. BOEM-2023-0011)
• SouthCoast Wind DEIS
• Extension of Public Comment Period (Apr. 3, 2023)
• SouthCoast Wind Construction and Operations Plan and Appendices
• SouthCoast Wind Cumulative Historic Resources Visual Effects Analysis

Past Public Engagement on the Draft EIS 

BOEM held three virtual public meetings on the following dates, recordings available below:

• Mon., Mar. 20th, 2023; 5:00 pm
• Wed., Mar. 22nd, 2023; 1:00 pm
• Mon., Mar. 27th, 2023; 5:00 pm

More information is available in the SouthCoast Wind Virtual Meeting Room.

Environmental Review

BOEM published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submitted by SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC (formerly Mayflower Wind Energy LLC) the SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind) Project in the Federal Register on Nov. 1, 2021.  

• Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS (BOEM 2021-0062)
• 2022 Final Scoping Report

The Notice of Intent initiated a 30-day public comment period that ended on Dec. 1, 2021.