July 10, 2019
Massachusetts

Unsettling news for Vineyard Wind; Feds put off key environmental decision with no explanation

Bruce Mohl | CommonWealth | Jul 10, 2019 | commonwealthmagazine.org

Vineyard Wind, the company seeking to build a large wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, faced some uncertainty on Wednesday after federal regulators said they wouldn’t be taking action Friday on a key environmental approval as had been expected.

The company posted a statement on its website downplaying the significance of the action, but industry officials said the news was concerning. At the very least, an extended delay could throw off the company’s construction timetable. Vineyard Wind had planned to begin construction this year and complete work in 2021.

In its statement, Vineyard Wind said it had been informed by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management “that they are not prepared to issue” the final environmental impact statement for the massive 800 megawatt project. The environmental impact statement lays out how the project will affect the surrounding area and wildlife and provides mitigation solutions.

“We understand that, as the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US, the Vineyard Wind project will undergo extraordinary review before receiving approvals,” the statement said. “As with any project of this scale and complexity, changes to the schedule are anticipated.”
Officials at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management could not be reached for comment and the agency’s website had no information on the action.

Vineyard Wind has won a number of significant regulatory approvals, but it encountered a setback on Wednesday when the Edgartown Conservation Commission voted 5-1 to deny a permit for underwater power cables to pass within a mile of Chappaquiddick on their way to Barnstable.

The Martha’s Vineyard Times reported that fishermen had opposed the cables citing a detrimental impact on marine life. “Vineyard Wind and their consultants, Epsilon, appeared stunned after the vote. No one from the contingent would comment on the decision,” the newspaper reported.

Vineyard Wind in August 2018 was awarded contracts to provide 800 megawatts of power to Massachusetts electricity ratepayers at an average price of 8.9 cents a kilowatt hour over 20 years, or a levelized price of 6.5 cents.

Gov. Charlie Baker has hailed the price as evidence that the offshore wind industry has truly arrived and suggested the contract spurred frenzied offshore wind development along the East Coast.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/07/10/unsettling-news-for-vineyard-wind-feds-put-off-key-environmental-decision-with-no-explanation/