The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has approved the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the SouthCoast Wind offshore wind project. This is the final approval needed for the project from BOEM following the Record of Decision (ROD) from the Department of the Interior (DOI) in December 2024, the federal agency said on 17 January.
The 2.4 GW SouthCoast Wind project, as approved, includes up to 141 wind turbines and up to five offshore substation platforms located at a maximum of 143 positions, and up to eight offshore export cables located in up to two corridors, potentially making landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Compared to the originally proposed project, the selected alternative removes six wind turbine positions in the northeastern portion of the Lease Area to reduce potential impacts on foraging habitat and potential displacement of wildlife, according to BOEM.
The lease area is located about 26 nautical miles (about 48 kilometres) south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles (approximately 37 kilometres) south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
SouthCoast Wind, established by Shell New Energies US LLC and Ocean Winds North America, secured a lease area in an offshore wind auction in December 2018. In March 2024, Shell sold its 50 per cent share in the project to Ocean Winds.
In September 2024, SouthCoast Wind (SouthCoast Wind 1) was granted power purchase agreements with Massachusetts and Rhode Island for a combined total of 1,287 MW.
In November last year, BOEM issued the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for SouthCoast Wind, which analysed the potential environmental impacts of the activities outlined in the project’s construction and operations plan and considered reasonable alternatives.
The Department of the Interior issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the 2.4 GW offshore wind project on 20 December 2024.