Vineyard Wind submits Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report for 800 MW offshore project

Vineyard Wind, a 50:50 joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables, has submitted a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report (SDEIR) to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA) for its proposed 800 MW offshore wind farm 24km off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

The reports contains additional project refinements following the award and negotiation of long-term contracts with Massachusetts’ electric distribution companies (EDCs) for construction of the project. Public comments on the SDEIR are invited until 5 October 2018.

The SDEIR incorporates additional offshore studies conducted during the spring and summer. These additional marine surveys provided more detail about the project’s offshore cable route. Additional data will further inform Vineyard Wind's dialogue with stakeholders, including Cape Cod residents, state and federal agencies and a variety of advocacy groups, including environmental advocates, fishermen and natural resource regulators and managers.

Vineyard Wind filed the project’s initial Environmental Notification Form (ENF) in January 2018 and the initial Draft Environmental Impact Report in May. The company remains on schedule to begin site construction in 2019, with the wind farm to become operational by 2021. 

In addition to federal and state permitting reviews, the project is actively consulting with tribal and local agencies. In total the Vineyard Wind project will face substantial public review and consultations by nearly 30 federal, tribal, state, and local approval agencies.