The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued its first approval of an offshore wind Site Assessment Plan (SAP) to Bay State Wind, a utility-scale offshore wind project in Massachusetts located 15 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean.
The BOEM approval paved the way for Bay State Wind’s next crucial step – deployment of the FLiDAR WindSentinel system off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard to measure wave and wind speeds in the project’s lease area. The system will be deployed for two years.
Bay State Wind is a joint venture between DONG Energy and Eversource, under which DONG Energy will lead the development and construction of the project’s offshore generation and transmission assets and Eversource will develop and construct the onshore transmission system.
“We are thrilled to be the first in the country to receive this approval from BOEM, and to be a part of this huge step forward for the offshore wind industry in the U.S.,” said Thomas Brostrøm , North America president of DONG Energy.
“This is a significant milestone for the project and an important step forward in helping Massachusetts meet its climate change goals,” said Mike Ausere , vice president of Business Strategy at Eversource. “We’re proud to partner with the global leader in offshore wind energy and appreciate the support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in getting this important industry off the ground in the United States.”