First Major US Offshore Wind Farm Delayed by Government

The Trump administration cast the fate of the nation’s first major offshore wind farm into doubt by extending an environmental review for the $2.8 billion Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts.

The Interior Department has ordered an additional study of the farm, proposed by Avangrid Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in an interview with Bloomberg News Friday.  The project, which has drawn opposition from fishermen and coastal communities, had been scheduled to be operational by early 2022.  The developers have warned that regulatory delays could put it in jeopardy.

Bernhardt said it’s crucial the impacts be thoroughly studied.  “For offshore wind to thrive on the outer continental shelf, the federal government has to dot their I’s and cross their T’s,” he said.

Avangrid sank as much as 0.9% to $50.34.  It closed at $50.37 in New York.

The project south of Martha’s Vineyard is crucial to the future of offshore wind in the U.S.  It’s the first of several massive wind farms planned off the East Coast.  Massachusetts, New York, Maine, and New Jersey are all counting on turbines at sea to achieve aggressive clean energy targets.  Their efforts are expected to spur an estimated $70 billion offshore wind industry in the U.S. over the next decade.

Vineyard Wind spokesman Scott Farmelant called the Interior Department’s decision “a surprise and disappointment.”

“We urge the federal government to complete the review as quickly as possible,” he said.

Read more at First Major US Offshore Wind Farm Delayed by Government