Credit Dennis Schroeder / National Renewable Energy Labs
Offshore wind advocates in New Hampshire have high hopes after federal regulators this week approved construction of the Vineyard Wind project in Massachusetts – the largest offshore wind farm yet to reach the construction stage in the U.S.
At 800 megawatts in capacity, Vineyard Wind’s 62 turbines will be able to generate as much power as many nuclear reactors.
The project’s approval comes after delays under the Trump administration and is a first step toward President Biden’s climate change goals, which include the development of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
The Gulf of Maine will likely house many of those turbines, but it will be years before any are approved or built. New Hampshire is working with Maine and Massachusetts on a federal task force to plan for that new industry, but the group has met only once, in late 2019 at UNH.