BOEM Issues Final SEIS for Cape Wind Energy Project

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Cape Wind Energy Project offshore Massachusetts.

This supplement to the 2009 Final EIS has been prepared in response to a 2016 remand order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, BOEM said.

In the Final SEIS for the Cape Wind Energy Project, BOEM examines the available geological survey data, including the geotechnical data and reports submitted to BOEM since the 2009 Final EIS, and any other relevant material that relate to the adequacy of the seafloor to support wind turbines in the lease area.

The Final SEIS also includes a summary of all the comments received on the Draft SEIS and BOEM’s responses to those comments.

Cape Wind Associates (CWA) proposed to build the Cape Wind wind farm in November 2001, and applied for a commercial lease in September 2005. CWA obtained the commercial lease to construct and operate the wind farm in October 2010.

The lease includes a 5-year site assessment term and a 28-year operations term.

Back in February 2015, the developer submitted a request for a two-year suspension of the operations term of its commercial lease, which was approved by BOEM in July 2015.

The Cape Wind lease suspension expired on 24 July 2017.

The 468MW project, which has faced multiple obstacles and fierce opposition over time, would feature up to 130 Siemens 3.6MW wind turbines installed at the lease area comprised of approximately 46 square miles in Nantucket Sound, 25 square miles of which make up the project footprint area on Horseshoe Shoal.