US Town Appeals BOEM Approval of SouthCoast Wind Project

April 2, 2025, by Adnan Memija

The town and county of Nantucket, Massachusetts, have filed an appeal in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) over its approval of the 2.4 GW SouthCoast Wind offshore wind project.

Nantucket alleges that BOEM violated the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and failed to fully consider project harms, including potential turbine blade failures like the one at the Vineyard Wind project, which happened last year.

“While BOEM has admitted that the project will adversely affect Nantucket’s internationally renowned historic district, which powers the Town’s heritage tourism economy, Nantucket alleges that BOEM violated federal law in failing to address those harms before greenlighting the project,” Nantucket officials said in announcing the lawsuit.

The appeal references directives from US President Donald Trump to remove federal waters from wind energy leasing and to reassess the process of federal wind leasing and permits.

It also calls for BOEM’s project permit to be vacated and reviewed.

The 2.4 GW SouthCoast Wind project, as approved at the beginning of this year, includes up to 141 wind turbines and up to five offshore substation platforms located at a maximum of 143 positions. The project is being developed by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE.

Ocean Winds Receives Final BOEM Approval for 2.4 GW SouthCoast Wind

Planning & Permitting

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.

In September 2024, the 1.2 GW SouthCoast Wind 1 was granted power purchase agreements with Massachusetts and Rhode Island for a combined total of 1,287 MW.

The signing of contracts with the winners selected in Massachusetts’ fourth offshore wind solicitation has been delayed once more, now expected to take place on or before 30 June.