The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) made available the final environmental impact statement (EIS) on Nov. 8 for the proposed SouthCoast Wind project offshore Massachusetts.
Potentially, the project could generate up to 2.4 GW.
The SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC proposal calls for installation of up to 147 wind turbine generators, up to five offshore substation platforms at a maximum of 149 positions, and up to eight offshore export cables that could make landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth.
The 127,388-acre lease area is about 26 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nm south of Nantucket.
Yesterday the Massachusetts legislature passed a clean energy bill that aims to strengthen future offshore wind energy contracts. Among other provisions, the bill is designed to improve the current regulatory process for procuring offshore wind energy and allow the state to negotiate power contracts lasting 30 years, rather than the current 20-year timeline for offshore wind and battery storage projects.
