In this issue:
Virtual Town Hall Gathers Falmouth Input
Geotechnical Surveys Conducted at Potential Landing Sites
Interviews with the Crew: Q&A with SouthCoast Staff
Virtual Town Hall Gathers Falmouth Input
Thank you to the 128 participants who attended the Virtual Town Hall on February 10th hosted by State Representatives Dylan Fernandes and David Vieira.
We welcomed the opportunity to answer questions from diverse stakeholders on the siting and routing of project facilities; timing and overall project schedule; interactions with fisheries; transmission and grid infrastructure; and local jobs. The questions and thoughts shared by attendees are very important to us. We hope to continue to build trust in the community as the project continues its early development in Falmouth.
Special thanks to Representatives Fernandes and Vieira for their gracious hospitality and bipartisan support.
Stay tuned for additional virtual open houses and other remote engagements over the upcoming months.
The video recordings are available to watch.
Geotechnical Surveys Conducted at Potential Landing Sites
Geotechnical borehole surveys were conducted at two locations in parking lots along Worcester Avenue and Surf Drive in Falmouth on February 16-19. The two boring locations were sealed with asphalt cold patch after samples were taken for testing and analysis.
SouthCoast Wind appreciates the cooperation of the Town and its residents in granting access to perform these routine baseline surveys. Survey crews took appropriate safety measures and work was completed as planned.
The borehole data supports the ongoing routing analysis to determine the preferred location for the underground cable landing. That preferred location will then be submitted for approval to state and local regulatory agencies.
Outreach Notes
The last few months have been busy for our outreach and advocacy team! We have had virtual meetings with many different groups in Falmouth and Cape Cod including municipal boards and committees, environmental groups, neighborhood associations, congregations, local schools, research institutions, fishermen, individual community members, and more. The communities’ questions and comments about the project have helped us shape new material, including the Falmouth page on our website.
Since the start of 2021, we have enjoyed getting to know the Falmouth Heights Maravista Neighborhood Association, the First Congregation Church of Falmouth, the Faith Communities Environmental Network of Cape Cod, and the Massachusetts Climate Education Organization. We thank our new friends in the Cape and Islands community who have taken the time to meet with us and learn more about the project. We hope to connect with even more community members moving forward. If your Cape Cod organization or community group is interested in SouthCoast Wind representatives providing a virtual presentation, please email Kelsey Perry at kelsey.perry@southcoastwind.com
Interviews with the Crew:
Q&A with SouthCoast Staff
Kelsey Perry, Community Liaison Officer
Q: How did you come to be in Massachusetts?
Kelsey: I was born and raised in Mashpee on Cape Cod, where I still currently live. I went through the Mashpee Public School system along with my brother Isaac. Most of my family resides on Cape Cod, including my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. For my undergraduate degree, I attended Clark University and then continued to graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Q: When and how did you know you wanted to work in the energy industry?
Kelsey: I knew I was interested in scientific communication while working as an undergrad at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the chemistry department. I was fortunate to have access to high quality climate science literature and scientists who helped to develop my understanding of the climate crisis. I realized then that instead of producing more science, my skills were better suited to bridge the gap between innovative climate solutions and local communities so that we can begin utilizing these technologies at a faster pace.
Q: What was your first job out of college?
Kelsey: After finishing my coursework at UMass Amherst, I worked with the Cape and Islands Self-Reliance, a nonprofit in Falmouth working on renewable energy initiatives. This is where I really had the opportunity to start learning about offshore wind and the opportunities it holds for Cape Cod.
Q: Was there a parent, teacher, friend, or mentor along the way who inspired you? What did she or he say?
Kelsey: My grandfather has always inspired me. He is a retired WHOI scientist and much of his work in microbiology focused on the deep sea. During his time at WHOI, he was able to collect data and observe sea life in the (HOV) Alvin submarine over 40 times. My grandfather’s desire to shine a light in dark places and to put all his effort into trying to better understand the world around us was always so inspirational. His environmental stewardship has been engrained in me and motivates me to do what I can to protect the environment for future generations.
Q: What’s the most challenging thing about what you do?
Kelsey: The most challenging part of my job currently is trying to accommodate audiences with varying levels of offshore wind education while in this period of virtual engagement. It’s been evident that many Cape Cod stakeholders have been staying up to date with the industry, so they come to meetings with great high-level technical questions. On the other hand, other community members are looking to meet with us so that they can begin the process of learning about offshore wind energy. Each time I meet with a new person or group is a great opportunity to better understand and respond to information the community is looking for.
Jennifer Flood, Offshore Permitting Manager
Q: How did you come to be in Massachusetts?
Jen: I grew up in Southborough, in central Massachusetts. I went to high school at Algonquin High in Northborough, and then continued to college at the University of New Hampshire. I then came back and attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After graduate school, I moved to Boston and have been here ever since.
Q: When and how did you know you wanted to work in the offshore wind energy industry?
Jen: I always knew I wanted to do something environmentally focused. I started to get into environmental work through the economic space. I began taking economics classes in college and found that I liked resource economics. More specifically, natural resource and renewable energy resource economics. I decided to continue to graduate school to get a master’s degree in that. I interned at a consulting firm in the industry throughout graduate school, working on a number of different energy projects. I used my experience from the offshore wind engineering courses to gain work on offshore wind projects. After receiving my masters, I went back to the firm for two great years, before joining the SouthCoast project.
Q: What would you tell a young person who is looking to start a career in offshore wind permitting?
Jen: I would say do it, but you have to be hungry! You need to learn as much as you can and not be afraid to ask questions. If you can’t find the answer to something, make sure you know your resources of how to get the answer or be prepared to sit down and teach yourself. The greatest thing about being a young person in the offshore wind industry in the United States right now is how new it is.
Q: What do you think is the most challenging thing about what you do in offshore wind permitting?
Jen: Generally, how fast paced everything is. At SouthCoast Wind, we are all hungry people, and we are all extremely driven by personal goals and the success of the project. We love to work together but yes, we move quick at SouthCoast, which is challenging but so great for the project overall.
Q: Outside of work, is running your main hobby?
Jen: Yes, I have been a runner since high school. I ran the Boston Marathon in 2017 and I ran the virtual one this past September, along with our CEO, Michael Brown. I was supposed to run in April but of course it was postponed. I’m looking forward to potentially running in the Falmouth Road Race and Martha’s Vineyard Marathon this year if safety guidelines allow.
SouthCoast Wind in the News
The Big Picture of Wind Power – Editorial
The Falmouth Enterprise, February 11, 2021
News from Our Sponsors
Borssele III & IV Goes Live
The offshore wind farm Borssele III&IV, located in the North Sea off the coast of The Netherlands, is now fully operational. Construction and installation of the 731.5 megawatt (MW) wind farm was completed on-time on February 18th, with official commissioning in January. The Blauwwind consortium, currently consisting of Partners Group, the global private markets firm (acting on behalf of its clients) (45%), Shell (20%), Diamond Generating Europe (15%), Van Oord (10%) and Eneco (10%), won the tender conducted by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in June 2016.
Offshore windfarm Borssele III&IV now fully operational
Shell Global
Real Time Metocean Data Available
SouthCoast Wind has partnered with the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) to share real-time weather and ocean data collected by the buoy for mariners and the scientific community to use. NERACOOS mission is to produce, integrate, and communicate high quality information that helps ensure safety, economic and environmental resilience, and sustainable use of the coastal ocean. SouthCoast Wind’s floating buoy data will help to support these efforts and help to inform other research efforts in the Atlantic region. Visit NERACOOS to view the data.