An offshore wind project located off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts was approved. It will be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters.
The 2.8 billion dollar project will install up to 84 turbines in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. It is a joint venture of the energy firms Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
The project will be a joint venture of the energy firms Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
A former Cape Wind project failed to get government approval. Supporters of this Vineyard Wind have said the newer project will be located closer to shore. The commercial fishing industry may find it difficult for them to harvest valuable seafood species such as scallops and lobsters.
The following written content from TV6
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of fishing groups and businesses, characterized the approval of the project as a sellout to multinational corporations that hope to profit on offshore wind in the U.S.
“For the past decade, fishermen have participated in offshore wind meetings whenever they were asked and produced reasonable requests only to be met with silence,” said Anne Hawkins, executive director of the group. “From this silence now emerges unilateral action and a clear indication that those in authority care more about multinational businesses and energy politics than our environment, domestic food sources, or U.S. citizens.”
The project is a $2.8 billion joint venture of Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen called the approval “not about the start of a single project, but the launch of a new industry.” He also said the approval “means the jobs, economic benefits and clean energy revolution” associated with the project can come to fruition.
Environmental groups and clean power advocates trumpeted Tuesday’s approval. Heather Zichal, chief executive officer of the American Clean Power Association, called it a “historic day for clean energy and for our country” and a sign that renewable energy is on the rise in the U.S. Read more from TV6
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