July 1, 2024 — The pace of approvals for the U.S. offshore wind sector continues to accelerate after years of review and planning. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced its second approval, this time the construction and operation plan for Avangrid’s New England Wind, in just a matter of weeks. BOEM highlights that it is working to support the development of the industry both through reviews and approvals as well as scheduling more offshore auctions.
A portion of the site was included in an April 2015 auction agreement to then Vineyard Wind. Since then, Avangrid which is part of Iberdrola, has realigned the portfolio in the wind zone off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and gained BOEM approval to assign portions of different leases including from Park City Wind to create the projects now known as New England Wind 1 and 2. The area also incorporates the former Commonwealth Wind, the project for which Avangrid canceled its power purchase agreements in 2023. The two projects are covered by a joint Construction and Operation plan which received final approval today after a favorable Record of Decision in April.