Tag Archives: offshore wind farm
Vineyard Wind crisis: Fishermen blast feds for saying they don’t care about whales
The claim came during a Thursday hearing in Boston federal appeals court as two fishing groups look to toss Vineyard Wind’s underlying permit, arguing regulators failed to analyze how the project would impact the environment and fishermen. “The alliance, as a trade association representing the fishing industry, does not have any interest in protecting right whales,” said attorney Thekla Hansen-Young, representing the Department of the Interior, the National Marine Fisheries Service, among other federal agencies, in the dispute. Hansen-Young was referring to the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, one of the groups fighting the feds and Vineyard Wind. Seafreeze Shoreside Inc. is the other. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:06
Fishermen Join Lawsuit Against Vineyard Wind After Blade Failure
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) has called for the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider the dismissal of a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior regarding the safety of Vineyard Wind’s turbines. The case, RODA v. Department of the Interior, is scheduled for oral arguments on Thursday. Jerry Leeman, CEO of NEFSA, highlighted recent issues related to the Vineyard Wind project, particularly a blade malfunction that resulted in debris being scattered across important fishing areas. “The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) put the government on notice over two years ago that Vineyard Wind’s turbines aren’t safe. The recent blade disaster has scattered debris over a huge swath of historic fishing grounds, creating serious hazards for mariners and marine life,” Leeman stated. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
GE Vernova finds Manufacturing Defect after Vineyard Wind Turbine Accident
The company is facing scrutiny after a massive blade fell into the ocean July 13 at the project in Massachusetts, stopping construction at the nation’s biggest offshore wind farm. Strazik said there’s no sign of a design flaw in its Haliade-X offshore turbine, but it’s halting production at the Gaspe, Canada, plant while the company inspects its blades. “The blade left the factory with insufficient bonding — the glue,” Strazik said. The Gaspe plant in Quebec has been in production since 2006 and has made about 150 offshore blades, including most of the blades for the Vineyard Wind project that experienced the blade failure. Strazik declined to say how many offshore blades have been produced to date at the company’s three blade plants. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:07
Aquinnah tribe calls for moratorium on offshore wind development
In the aftermath of a broken turbine blade off the Vineyard’s coast, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is calling for a moratorium on all offshore wind development in the United States until further research can be done on the impact of wind farm construction. Aquinnah Wampanoag chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais expressed “strong concerns and outrage” over the fractured Vineyard Wind turbine blade and the debris that washed ashore on Nantucket in a letter to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement director Kevin M. Sligh, Sr. Andrews-Maltais, in a July 18 letter, said the foam and fiberglass debris have “potential negative and adverse impact[s]” on the environment, marine life, and human health. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
LBI offshore wind critics sound alarm after Massachusetts turbine breaks
A Long Beach Island-based group critical of offshore wind development is calling for a moratorium on additional New Jersey’s wind projects following the failure of a turbine off the coast of Massachusetts this month. “Save LBI” called for the moratorium from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on Monday, citing the impacts from a broken turbine at the Vineyard Wind project off Martha’s Vineyard. After a blade broke off the turbine, beaches in the region were littered with debris and shards of fiberglass. “The incident is a stark reminder of the many potential disasters offshore wind turbines can pose to the shore and the marine environment and adds to the concerns already raised regarding turbine visibility, reduced breeze, and airborne noise,” Save LBI president and founder Bob Stern said in a release. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:28
New wind turbine blade debris discovered Sunday off Mass. coast, company says
The discovery comes just days after the remaining piece of blade from a damaged offshore wind turbine fell into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. Vineyard Wind said on Saturday that it was sending additional resources to Nantucket and surrounding coastal communities after the remaining piece of blade from a damaged offshore wind turbine fell into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. “Members of the public should avoid handling debris as the fiber-glass pieces can be sharp and lead to cuts if handled without proper gloves,” the company said. “Vineyard Wind is working to bag, track and transport all debris off the island and to proper storage as soon as possible. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:27
Humboldt County Officials Respond to Recent Turbine Blade Collapse at East Coast Vineyard Wind Farm
Operations were suspended this week at Vineyard Wind 1, an offshore wind farm located about 35 miles off the coast of mainland Massachusetts, after a damaged wind turbine blade broke apart and fell into the ocean. The cause of the incident remains unknown. Project developer Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is an affiliate of Vineyard Offshore, the company planning to build a floating offshore wind farm here on the North Coast. In a statement issued Monday, Vineyard officials noted that the project is still in its commissioning phase and offered reassurance that the company has “detailed plans to guide its response” to such incidents. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:37
Nantucket Select Board to pursue litigation against Vineyard Wind in wake of blade failure
Amid the Vineyard Wind crisis rattling the island, the Nantucket Select Board is set to pursue litigation against the wind energy company in connection to the blade failure that has resulted in debris floating on the ocean and washing ashore. The Select Board is scheduled to meet in executive session on Tuesday to discuss the path forward relative to recovery costs associated with the disaster, according to an agenda posted on the town website Friday. Select Board members will convene in a public session on Wednesday evening with a follow-up on the Vineyard Wind 1 blade failure and an update on the cleanup slated to be part of the town manager’s report. This all comes as the blade failure, which popped up last Saturday about 21 miles south of Nantucket, continues to wreak havoc on the island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:37
CMP Parent Company’s Offshore Wind Turbine Creates Environmental Disaster Off New England Coast
An offshore wind turbine project operated by Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners broke apart this week, scattering debris throughout Massachusetts’ coastal waters, with much of the flotsam washing up on Nantucket beaches. Since the turbine experienced a catastrophic malfunction — for reasons that are not yet clear — social media has been inundated with pictures and videos of beachgoers and government employees picking up trash bags and dumpsters full of debris. The turbine in question is owned by Vineyard Wind US, a joint project of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark and Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power (CMP). The turbine itself was manufactured by GE Vernova, which has experienced similar failures in the past with their offshore wind projects. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:53
‘Bunch Of Suits Trying To Cover Their Tracks’: Beach Town Locals Slam Offshore Wind Developer For Polluting Shores
Local lobsterman Dan Pronk lamented the effects the debris has had on his business and the environment during the town hall meeting while holding a piece of fiberglass that had washed up on the beach, while also addressing Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller personally, according to another video posted on X by the Nantucket Current. “I fish 800 lobster traps right where you’re putting these tombstones, which is also the end of my business… When you apply [fiberglass]… you have to wear respirators. For what reason? Because it’s toxic. If you breathe those fumes… you’ll get higher than a rat,” he continued. “So, it is toxic. What do you have to say about that, Klaus?” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:37
Broken Offshore Wind Blade Debris Washes Up in Nantucket
Investigators are probing the cause of a damaged offshore wind turbine blade that sent debris washing ashore at Nantucket Beach and shut down swimming in the area. The incident occurred Saturday evening at the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project under construction near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, prompting the probe by federal officials, developers Avangrid Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S, and GE Vernova Inc., which manufactured the Haliade-X turbines used at the site. Operations at the site have been suspended while investigations are underway, and authorities closed Nantucket’s south shore to swimming for three days. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:46
Nantucket Group Fighting Vineyard Wind Will Take Case To U.S. Supreme Court
After its arguments against the Vineyard Wind project were rejected by a federal judge in April, the Nantucket group ACK 4 Whales will attempt to take its case to the U.S. Supreme Court. “There are no do-overs when the last whale is killed off,” said Val Oliver, president of ACK 4 Whales. “We will be seeking a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court to ask for the reversal of the First Circuit’s legal errors made in our case,” Oliver added. “We believe this is the first cert. petition being filed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright to challenge offshore wind development..” After its arguments against the Vineyard Wind project were rejected by a federal judge in April, the Nantucket group ACK 4 Whales will attempt to take its case to the U.S. Supreme Court. more. >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:45
Biden Admin Approves New Jersey’s First Offshore Wind Project Amid Growing Local Pushback
The Atlantic Shores South project, given a green light by the U.S. Department of the Interior last week, calls for installing 200 towering wind turbines less than nine miles off the coast — providing enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes. It’s the ninth offshore wind project approved by President Joe Biden as part of his efforts to expand the green power industry aggressively. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and environmental groups praised the project’s approval, saying it will help reduce the state and nation’s reliance on fossil fuel energy sources. “Through the responsible development of offshore wind facilities, we can protect our aquatic and coastal resources and the communities who rely upon them while taking bold action to address the climate crisis by reducing emissions from fossil-fuel-dependent energy sources,” Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:06
Reagan Paul: Hope Floats, But Not for UMaine’s VolturnUS Floating Offshore Wind Platform
Last year, LD 1895 “An Act Regarding the Procurement of Energy from Offshore Wind Resources” passed, which got the ball rolling on Maine’s push for offshore wind port. The port will be the culmination of a more than decade-long taxpayer-funded effort to develop a floating offshore wind research array project, with the goal of eventually turning the Gulf of Maine into an industrialized wind farm. The viability of this technology was to be tested through an array of 12 wind turbines using the patented VolturnUS concrete, semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine platform design created by Dr. Habib Dagher of the University of Maine, over the last decade. The Portland Press Herald conceded that this floating offshore wind research array project is too cost-prohibitive without an almost billion-dollar dedicated wind port facility off the coast of Maine, which means that a port must be constructed before the state can even move forward with the research array outlined in LD 1895. Enter Sears Island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:46
Littleproud predicts rough seas ahead for Illawarra wind zone under Coalition government
A future Coalition government would not allow a wind energy zone to be developed off the Illawarra coast, Nationals Leader David Littleproud said in Wollongong on Monday (17 June). To the cheers of a group of anti-wind zone protesters at Belmore Basin, Mr Littleproud said the Coalition would stop wind farms from going ahead. “There will be no wind zone, there is a better way to do this. Make no mistake, we’re going to live up to our international commitments, but we’re not going to tear away your economy, your environment and tear up the social cohesion of this great community,” he said. Mr Littleproud and NSW Nationals Senator Ross Cadell visited the region following the weekend declaration by Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen of a 1022 square km wind zone area, 20 km off the coast. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:53
Offshore wind farm: Business owner fumes over controversial $10billion project on NSW south coast
A commercial fisherman fears his livelihood is under threat after last-minute amendments to a new offshore wind farm were given the green light. The final amendments to the 100-hectare plot of sea where the $10billion project will be built were completed by the federal government on Saturday. The project was initially planned to be just 10km off the coast, where local fisherman Mark Horne caught lobsters for a living, but was changed at the last minute. Fearing that his fishing spot would disappear, Mr Horne invested $500,000 in a new boat to expand into new fishing areas, which is now obsolete following the amendments. photos, charts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:32
Conservative groups cleared to continue legal fight to protect whales from Biden-backed offshore wind farm
A coalition of conservative organizations have standing to continue fighting a Biden administration wind project in Virginia, a federal judge determined. However, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the District of Columbia, a Biden appointee, denied the plaintiff’s petition for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project from going forward. The plaintiffs sued the Biden administration and Dominion Energy to protect the North Atlantic right whale under the Endangered Species Act. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
RWE to start seabed surveys at floating wind site offshore California
Site investigation survey work will soon start at RWE’s floating wind project site off the coast of Northern California, where the Germany-based offshore wind developer plans to build its first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm, Canopy. RWE will be performing initial site investigation surveys during 2024 and 2025, with the first activities beginning in June 2024. The work will involve mapping the seafloor so the best locations for the wind turbines, anchors and electric cables can be assessed. The surveys will also provide data that will help better understand biodiversity, habitats, and other environmental factors to ensure responsible planning and design that minimizes the impact on ocean ecosystems, according to the developer. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:11
Sunrise Wind on the Horizon
At a May 29 open house addressing the new Sunrise Wind project, consisting of up to 84 turbines to be built 26.5 miles off the coast of Montauk, its corporate parents, Orsted and Eversource, projected the new wind farm will yield 924 megawatts of energy. enough potentially to power hundreds of thousands of houses. The company’s officials said they expect their construction and operations plan to be approved by the federal Department of the Interior by the end of the summer. The proposal is to connect the turbines to the mainland through Smith Point County Park, at the eastern end of Fire Island. From there the cable would run under the Great South Bay and up to the Long Island Power Authority station in Holbrook. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:49
Hello Mayors: FOIA Emails Suggest US Wind Requested Coastal Towns Keep Initial Offshore Wind Talks Private
New light is being shed on offshore wind company US Wind’s talks with the mayors comprising the Association of Coastal Towns (ACT) with the release of email correspondence between the two. US Wind and the ACT have been in talks over US Wind’s proposed offshore projects off the coast of Maryland that would potentially see a power cable landing in Delaware Seashore State Park. US Wind has also presented community benefits packages to the Coastal Towns which include proposed annual payments over twenty years worth $2 million to each town. Following a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) submitted to the ACT, WBOC has received copies of the emails between ACT and US Wind that suggest the offshore wind company’s desire to keep the initial discussions shielded from the public. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:55
Wind farm opponents vow to ‘stay in the fight’
Opponents of offshore wind energy farms warned during a rally Saturday in Ocean City that the legal battle is far from over in their efforts to prevent what they called the “industrialization of our ocean.” Last year, the Danish energy company Orsted scrapped plans to build two wind farms off the South Jersey coast after concluding that the projects would not be worth the enormous development cost. However, opponents stressed during the rally that Orsted still holds the leases giving it rights to build the wind farms and could either revive them or sell them to another company that would develop the projects. “It’s not over. Stay in the fight,” said former Superior Court Judge Michael Donohue, who has headed Cape May County’s legal strategy to block the wind farms. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:04
Vineyard Wind 1 Fisheries Compensation Program Application Deadline Approaching
This notice is a reminder to commercial fishermen that the eligibility period to apply for the Vineyard Wind 1 Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Program ends on June 3, 2024. Commercial fishing vessel owners/operators must submit an online application prior to the June 3, 2024, deadline, to be considered for eligibility. The program is open to commercial fishing vessel owners/lessees in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island who can demonstrate historical fishing activities in the lease area, OCS-A 0501, which is south of Martha’s Vineyard. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:00
Incidental Take Authorization: Sunrise Wind, LLC Construction and Operation of the Sunrise Wind Offshore Wind Farm, off New York
On May 21, 2024, NOAA Fisheries announced the final regulations to govern the incidental harassment of marine mammals related to the construction of the Sunrise Wind Project, offshore New York, and within the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Area. As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the final regulations include mandatory mitigation measures undertaken by the wind developer that ensure the “least practicable adverse impact” on marine mammals and their habitat, as well as monitoring and reporting measures to better understand those impacts. NOAA Fisheries determined that underwater noise generated by the project’s activities over a five-year period may harass marine mammals. NOAA Fisheries determined that the number and manner of “take,” in the form of harassment, that may be authorized in a Letter of Authorization, will have a negligible impact on all affected marine mammal species and stocks. Impacts to a small number of North Atlantic right whales are expected to be limited to short-term behavioral disturbance (Level B harassment). more, >>CLICK TO READ<< – A summary and chart, >click here< 15:58
Andy Harris, Ocean City mayor voice new opposition to West OC pier plan
Wednesday, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md-1st, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and Maryland lawmakers from the Eastern Shore delegation called on the Maryland Department of Environment to hold a public hearing in Ocean City to review its process for U.S. Wind’s planned pier in West Ocean City. The department already held a public comment hearing at the Wor-Wic Community College on March 25, but Harris and others are calling for another following “numerous complaints” received by his office that the hearing was held in Wicomico County as opposed to Ocean City where residents will be most affected by the pier development. “The West Ocean City pier is being developed with the purpose of expanding offshore wind at a time when the true impacts of offshore wind have never been properly studied,” Harris wrote. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
Fisherman Settles Landmark Case with Offshore Wind Developer
Co Wicklow fisherman Ivan Toole has reached a significant settlement with German wind farm group RWE regarding its offshore project according to a report from The Sunday Times. Toole initiated a judicial review last May on environmental grounds against the minister of state with responsibility for planning and local government following the issuance of a foreshore license to RWE. This license granted RWE the authority to conduct a survey off the coast of Wicklow in preparation for a proposed €1.5 billion offshore wind farm. The legal battle, which involved the High Court referring several questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union, has now concluded with a settlement between Toole and RWE. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:12
Offshore Wind Opponents Sue NJDEP Over Planned Project
A local grassroots organization opposed to the current offshore wind farm planned off the coast of Long Beach Island is among three groups to sue the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection over its approval of the Atlantic Shores project. Save LBI is joined by Protect Our Coast New Jersey and Defend Brigantine Beach, said Bruce Afran, who is the attorney of record in the legal proceeding. “DEP’s approval flies in the face of federal regulators’ environmental impact statement that says the Atlantic Shores project will damage marine habitat, compress and harden the seafloor, damage marine communities, compromise migration corridors for endangered species and cause commercial fishing stocks to decline,” he said. The DEP has 30 days to respond under court rules, and briefs are expected to be filed by October with argument on the appeal in March or April 2025, according to a statement issued last week by Save LBI, Defend Brigantine Beach and Protect Our Coast New Jersey. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:08
Energy giant pays off fisherman blocking Wicklow wind farm
A fisherman from Co Wicklow has settled with an offshore wind developer in a landmark case expected to send waves through a renewable energy industry grappling with mounting legal challenges. Last May, Ivan Toole, whose fishing company operates out of Greystones, brought a judicial review on environmental grounds against the minister of state with responsibility for planning and local government over the granting of a foreshore licence to RWE, a German energy group and notice party in the case. The licence granted RWE the right to survey a section of sea off the east coast before applying for planning permission for its €1.5 billion offshore wind farm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:21
Three groups are suing New Jersey to block an offshore wind farm
Three anti-wind power groups are suing New Jersey to overturn a key environmental approval for a wind energy farm planned off the coast of Long Beach Island. Save Long Beach Island, Defend Brigantine Beach and Protect Our Coast NJ filed suit in appellate court on April 26 challenging a determination by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that the Atlantic Shores wind farm project meets the requirements of a federal coastal protection law. Bruce Afran, an attorney for the groups, said the state’s “approval flies in the face of the federal regulator’s environmental impact statement that says the Atlantic Shores project will damage marine habitat, compress and harden the seafloor, damage marine communities, compromise migration corridors for endangered species, and cause commercial fishing stocks to decline.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:05
Mystic Aquarium (the Whale People) expands offshore wind exhibit with youth in mind
In light of New London’s growing offshore wind industry, the Mystic Aquarium expanded its Renewable Ocean Energy Exhibit to educate the region on protective ocean wildlife methods this week. The expansion is in collaboration with Ørsted and Eversource, two developers of Connecticut’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. The offshore wind projects are expected to power up to 70,000 homes on Long Island when completed. The two companies gave the aquarium two grants totaling $1.25 million to study the effects of wind turbines on marine mammals and sea turtles. more, >>click to read<< 12:21
Sorting out the details of offshore wind compensation plans
Owners of commercial fishing vessels or permits can now sign up for compensation to cover economic losses attributed to the region’s offshore wind installations. Millions in funds are available, but the process can be complicated. Vineyard Wind entered an agreement with Massachusetts in 2020, establishing a $19 million fund to compensate affected fishermen and shoreside businesses that provide goods or services to the fishing industry. But we’ve got the processes explained in simple terms, with step-by-step graphics on the two projects currently underway — Vineyard Wind and South Fork Wind. As for captains and crew, the owners and operators are “strongly encouraged to share annual compensation payments” with them, but the program does not require it. more, >>click to read<< 09:01
