The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed its final environmental impact statement (EIS) for Ocean Winds’ proposed 2.4GW SouthCoast Wind project.
Ocean Winds’ project is planned in an approximately 515.5km2 area off Massachusetts.
“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.
In the EIS, BOEM listed numerous possible environmental impacts – as is standard for major wind projects. Mitigations, for example, might include limiting or stopping pile driving during construction when sea mammals or turtles are nearby, or during the winter when endangered Right whales are nearby.
The proposal includes up to 147 wind turbines – implying turbines having an average power rating of more than 16MW – up to five offshore substation platforms located at a maximum of 149 positions, and up to eight offshore export cables potentially making landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, Massachusetts.
The project needs a final federal approval before construction can start.
