Saving Seafood

New England Wind projects slated for construction

July 2, 2024 — Construction of wind projects off the coast of the Vineyard is starting to ramp up.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved construction and operations plans for two major offshore wind projects recently: Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind received permission in late June, with Avangrid’s New England Wind receiving approvals this week.

Eighty-four turbines are planned for Sunrise Wind, with a capacity of producing 924 megawatts. The project could power more than 320,000 homes, according to the federal energy agency. It’s located around 18 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard, and will be providing power to New York.

According to Ørsted, offshore wind construction will “ramp up” later this year, and Sunrise Wind is expected to be fully operational by 2026.

Meanwhile, the federal approval for New England Wind — consisting of two projects called New England Wind 1 and New England Wind 2 — is expected to have a total power capacity of 2,600 megawatts of energy, and could power more than 900,000 homes annually, according to the federal energy agency.

Read the full article at MV Times

New England Wind Gets BOEM Approval as Pace Accelerates in US Offshore Wind

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.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

Sunrise Wind cleared to start construction

June 27, 2024 — Another industrial offshore wind farm off the coast of the Vineyard is preparing to start construction.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved Sunrise Wind’s construction and operations plan on June 21, according to a press release from the agency. This is the final approval the project needed from BOEM.

According to Ørsted, offshore wind construction will “ramp up” later this year and Sunrise Wind is expected to be fully operational by 2026.

Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind project owned by Ørsted, will consist of 84 wind turbines and produce 924 megawatts of power. According to BOEM, that is enough to power over 320,000 homes annually. The project lease area is located around 18 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard and will be providing power to New York. By comparison, Sunrise Wind will be located around 30 miles east of Montauk, New York.

Read the full article at The Martha’s Vineyard Times

Vineyard Wind extends application time for fishermen compensation

June 14, 2024 — Northeast fishermen have until June 17 to apply for compensation from developers of the Vineyard Wind 1 project.

Originally opened March 4 to June 3, the compensation application process remains available

Online at: vw1fisheriescomp.com

Applications opened earlier this year with a series of open-house events outlining how fishermen may get some compensation for losses from development of the 804-megawatt offshore wind turbine array off southern New England.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: More than 160 whales spotted in waters off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, NOAA reports

June 12, 2024 — More than 160 whales were spotted in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in what researchers called a “dazzling array of sightings” during a recent aerial survey.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared pictures of the whales in a social media post on Monday. The agency said members of its North Atlantic Right Whale team reported sightings of 161 whales that comprised seven species, including 93 sei whales, “one of the highest concentrations of sei whales they’d ever seen during a single survey flight.”

The research team also reported seeing two killer whales, “which they don’t often see during this survey,” the NOAA post said. One of the killer whales was seen swimming with its dinner as a tuna dangled from its mouth.

Read the full article at The Boston Globe

Court Denies Nantucket Group’s Appeal of Vineyard Wind

April 29, 2024 — A federal court has rejected a Nantucket group’s claim that regulators didn’t follow the Endangered Species Act and other environmental law when reviewing the Vineyard Wind offshore wind energy farm.

In a 36-page opinion Wednesday, a panel of judges with the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the ACK for Whales group claim, which sought to halt the project currently being constructed about 14 miles to the Vineyard’s south. It is just the latest in a slew of lawsuits that have not gained traction against the wind farm, one of the first commercial-scale projects to be built in the country.

The Nantucket group, formerly known as Nantucket Residents Against Turbines, asserted that the project was endangering the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale and the National Marine Fisheries Service was relying on defective data to make decisions.

The U.S. District Court in Boston rejected the claims in May 2023, prompting the group to turn to the federal appeals court.

But the higher court wasn’t swayed.

Read the full article at the Vineyard Gazette

Vineyard Wind fisheries compensation meetings

April 24, 2024 — Offshore wind developers Vineyard Wind will hold a series of open-house events where fishermen can apply for a program to compensate for losses from development of the 804-megawatt offshore wind turbine array off southern New England.

The Vineyard Wind Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Program is open from March 4 to June 3. To qualify for the program, commercial fishing vessel owners/ operators are required to submit an online application during the eligibility period.

The ongoing eligibility period to June 3 is the only time that commercial fishing vessel owners/operators will be able to qualify for compensation from the program. Vineyard Wind is hosting events to help fishermen apply for the program, each day from 9 a.m to 12 p.m.:

April 23: Montauk Fish Dock, 478 W. Lake Dive, Montauk, N.Y.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: A submerged concern: offshore wind cables

April 18, 2024 — As offshore wind turbines undergo construction in waters south of the Vineyard, and with some already standing and delivering power, the debates on the Island regarding the industry continue.

And amid the conversations over a necessity for clean energy, and whether the projects are a blow to the Vineyard’s natural charm — coupled with a mix of online misinformation campaigns against the offshore wind industry — one subject has remained submerged: undersea cables.

While cables — which connect wind farms to the New England power grid on the mainland — aren’t the flashiest parts of an offshore wind farm operation, some are nervous about what may lie ahead with them.

John Keene, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, told the Times that some in the fishing industry are nervous about how the electromagnetic field from the cables can affect marine life.

Keene said the concern is that the fields emitted from cables could act like a fence, particularly for migratory species, and impact the behavior of marine species.

“There’s a lot of unknowns,” he said.

Read the full story at the MV Times

Feds Sign Off on New England Wind

April 9, 2024 — The nation’s eighth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project received federal approval earlier this month to move ahead with its plans for 129 turbines off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on April 2 greenlighted New England Wind for an area about 20 nautical miles south of the Island. The company expects it could generate up to 2,600 megawatts, the largest claim from any of the projects in the regulatory pipeline.

New England Wind now joins Vineyard Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind, South Fork Wind and others off the Mid-Atlantic states in approved projects.

Today, we celebrate the incredible progress being made toward achieving our goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” said Deb Haaland, the secretary of the Interior Department. “The New England Wind project will help lower consumer costs, combat climate change, create jobs to support families, and ensure economic opportunities are accessible to all communities.”

Read the full article at the Vineyard Gazette

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford fishermen get the nuts and the bolts of the Vineyard Wind compensation fund

March 23, 2024 — John Verissimo works as a fishing consultant following his career as a fishing boat captain and often answers calls about how the new Vineyard Wind Fisheries Compensation Fund will work.

“Basically, every day I’ll get a call from someone who will tell me, I need help with this, I need help with that, and if I don’t have the answer, I’ll get it,’ he said. “I support them by making sure they know what’s going on.”

He said he wants the fishermen who are eligible for this first-of-its-kind fund to feel comfortable with the process so that they will apply.

“My thing is I make sure that everyone understands this is the simplest way,” he said. “You’re going to wait, so the best thing to do is open this door and send in these things and let them know you’re working on the rest, and that way you don’t miss out.”

Read the full article at the Standard-Times