Posted on February 15, 2023
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed 2.4 GW SouthCoast Wind project off the shores of Massachusetts.
SouthCoast Wind – which was recently renamed from Mayflower Wind – has submitted a construction and operation plan for its proposed development and the associated export cables on the outer continental shelf. The proposal includes up to 147 wind turbines and two export cable corridors. One corridor would be used by multiple export cables making landfall in Falmouth, Mass., and the other corridor would be used by multiple export cables making landfall in Somerset, Mass.
The lease area covers approximately 127,388 acres and is approximately 26 nm south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nm south of Nantucket.
The SouthCoast Wind draft EIS can be found on BOEM’s website, and the notice of availability will publish in the Federal Register on Feb. 17. That will open a 45-day public comment period that ends at on Apr. 3. The input received during the comment period will inform preparation of the final EIS.
BOEM will use the findings of the final EIS to inform its decision on whether to approve the SouthCoast Wind construction and operation plan and, if so, which mitigation measures to require.
SouthCoast Wind represents the seventh project that is currently in the draft EIS stage of review by BOEM.
