May 1, 2021
Massachusetts, Rhode Island

Another wind farm planned near the Vineyard

By Rich Saltzberg | The Martha's Vineyard Times | April 30, 2021 | www.mvtimes.com

Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm planned for an area of the Atlantic 12 miles southwest of the Vineyard, is headed into its environmental impact statement (EIS) phase. On Thursday, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced a notice of intent to prepare an EIS for the construction and operations plan (COP) that it has received. BOEM spokesperson Stephen Boutwell told The Times Friday BOEM will post the COP online sometime between Friday and Monday.

“If approved by BOEM, Revolution Wind would be allowed to construct and operate an 880-megawatt wind energy facility offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” a release states. “The publication of the [notice of intent] opens a 30-day public comment period. During this time, BOEM will hold three virtual public scoping meetings, and accept comments to inform the preparation of the EIS.

The three virtual scoping meetings will be held May 13 at 5:30 pm, May 18 at 5:30 pm, and May 20 at 1 pm. Registration for the meetings can be done at boem.gov/Revolution-Wind-Scoping-Virtual-Meetings .

“BOEM’s scoping process is intended to identify what should be considered in the Revolution Wind COP EIS,” a release states. “Throughout the scoping process, there will be multiple opportunities to help BOEM determine the important resources and issues, impact-producing factors, reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigating measures that should be analyzed in the EIS.”

Revolution Wind is anticipated to have 100 turbines and two export cables. Unlike Vineyard Wind 1, those cables won’t pass beneath the Muskeget Channel to Cape Cod. Rather, the export cables will make landfall in Rhode Island. Revolution Wind is owned by Orsted and Eversource. The project is geared to provide energy to Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“Public input plays an essential role in identifying and mitigating any potential impacts from proposed energy development activities,” BOEM Director Amanda Lefton said through a release. “BOEM is committed to ensuring that any future offshore wind development is done safely and responsibly, and with the benefit of feedback from critical stakeholders.”