Feds grant approval to 84-turbine Vineyard Wind project off coast of Massachusetts
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Updated: 1:25 PM EDT May 11, 2021
AP/Michael Dwyer
In this Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, three of Deepwater Wind's turbines stand in the water off Block Island, R.I.
SOURCE: AP/Michael Dwyer
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Updated: 1:25 PM EDT May 11, 2021
Federal approval granted Tuesday will allow the nation's first major offshore wind project to be built off the coast of Massachusetts.The Biden-Harris administration approved the $2 billion Vineyard Wind energy project to begin construction about 12 nautical miles from the coasts of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in a northern portion of the leased area. Up to 84 wind turbines are approved, with a goal of producing enough energy to power up to 400,000 homes.Massachusetts selected the Vineyard Wind project back in 2018. The project will be the first "major" offshore wind project in U.S. waters, but not the first. A five-turbine, 30-megawatt offshore wind farm near Block Island began operating in 2016. Federal officials said the project is expected to create 3,600 area jobs. It is a critical piece of the Biden administration’s plan to grow renewable energy in the U.S."Today’s offshore wind project announcement demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis, while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad," Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island Governor, said in a statement. "This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals, and I’m proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind." "A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration's goals to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation," said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.While the project was approved, Vineyard Wind still must submit reports on the design, fabrication and installation of the project. Gov. Charlie Baker said the state should be proud of the federal approval."This approval shows Massachusetts developed a successful model for promoting offshore wind energy," he tweeted.The project could be completed in two years. Vineyard Wind follows the scrapped Cape Wind project, which failed after opposition from some high-profile liberals and conservatives alike. Supporters of Vineyard Wind have said the newer project is better sited than Cape Wind, which would've been closer to shore, and that it's more in tune with today's political climate.But Vineyard Wind also faces opposition. Commercial fishing businesses have said the growth of offshore wind projects off the East Coast would make it difficult for them to harvest valuable seafood species such as scallops and lobsters.The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of fishing groups and businesses, characterized the approval of the project as a sellout to multinational corporations that hope to profit on offshore wind in the U.S."For the past decade, fishermen have participated in offshore wind meetings whenever they were asked and produced reasonable requests only to be met with silence," said Anne Hawkins, executive director of the group. "From this silence now emerges unilateral action and a clear indication that those in authority care more about multinational businesses and energy politics than our environment, domestic food sources, or U.S. citizens."The Associated Press contributed to this report.