In this Issue:
SouthCoast
SouthCoast Project Virtual Tour
Meeting our Neighbors at the SouthCoast Open Air Market
“Winds of Change” Documentary Premiere
Celebrating with SouthCoast Community Foundation
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Day
Falmouth
Public Forum June 8th
2022 Annual Falmouth Fireworks Sponsor
General
Mayflower-RPS PSO Training Program Kicks-off
MassCEC Workforce Development Grant Awards
3D Offshore Model Debut at July Port Hours
Benthic Survey Campaign Continues
SouthCoast Wind 1
SouthCoast Project Virtual Tour
On May 4th, Mayflower Wind hosted its 4th event in our Virtual Open House series: “The Future of Clean Energy is Here.” Utilizing state-of-the-art 3D modeling software, we took the audience on a virtual tour of our SouthCoast Project, providing an immersive look at the offshore lease area, submarine cable routes, and onshore components in Portsmouth, RI and Somerset, MA.
For the event’s Q&A segments, we were joined by several of Mayflower Wind’s technical experts, including our Fisheries Liaison Officer, Export Cable & Inter-Array Cable Lead, and our Transmission Development Manager – who provided insight into the project’s design process and answered a variety of 181 attendees’ questions.
The slides and recording of the event are available, and if your group is interested in getting a 3D tour of the SouthCoast Project, please fill out the contact form.
As always, we encourage you to visit the SouthCoast Wind 1 page for the latest information on the project’s design and permitting advancements.
Meeting our Neighbors at the SouthCoast Open Air Market
On Saturday May 14th Mayflower Wind joined more than 60 other local vendors, and hundreds of attendees at the SouthCoast Open Air Market for their first event of the 2022 season. Mayflower Wind’s Community Liaison Officers, Kelsey Perry, and Dugan Becker, spent the day talking with folks from across the SouthCoast about Mayflower Wind’s efforts in the region, including our proposed grid connection at Brayton Point in Somerset, MA which is located about two miles down the road from the event. We were grateful for the opportunity to meet our Somerset neighbors, answer questions, and hand out some Mayflower Wind gear.
The SouthCoast Open Air Market happens every Saturday, 10am-2pm, May through October in Somerset, MA. We look forward to joining SOAM again later this summer and hope to see you there.
“Winds of Change” Documentary Premiere
The Somerset Berkley Regional High School rolled out the red carpet on Tuesday May 10th for the premiere screening of Winds of Change, a documentary exploring the history of the Brayton Point coal-fired power plant and the opportunities that offshore wind now brings to the community. Winds of Change is the latest episode in the Empowered docuseries, which aims to provide an inside look at those leading the clean energy transition in pursuit of a net-zero carbon future. The film featured touching recollections from Somerset residents and prior coal plant employees about their experiences with the former facility, as well as their hopes for a future built around the offshore wind industry.
The evening concluded with a Q&A discussion featuring filmmakers – Kiki and Chloe Goshay, State Representative Patricia Haddad, New England Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency – David W. Cash, and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center – Jennifer Daloisio.
We thoroughly enjoyed the film, and the thoughtful discussion that followed. For more information about Winds of Change, visit the Empowered website.
Celebrating with SouthCoast Community Foundation
On June 14th the SouthCoast Community Foundation (SCCF) hosted their annual meeting, during which community members from across the region gathered to celebrate the important work that SCCF has accomplished over this past year. From emergency Covid-19 relief funding to scholarships for local students, SCCF continues to make a significant positive impact across the SouthCoast.
Mayflower Wind is proud to contribute to SCCF’s mission through our recently established SouthCoast Fund – a commitment of $27 million over 10 years, to support offshore wind supply chain and workforce development on the SouthCoast. This fund will emphasize inclusive, equitable and diverse employment, training and supply chain opportunities related to the growing industry throughout Greater New Bedford, Greater Fall River, Southern Plymouth County and in total 41 cities and towns across four counties of Southeastern Massachusetts. The week prior to SCCF’s annual meeting, Mayflower Wind fulfilled our first installment to the SouthCoast Fund in the form of a $2.4 million donation.
We look forward to our continued partnership with the SouthCoast Community Foundation and witnessing the positive impact the SouthCoast Fund will have in the region. To learn more about the SouthCoast Community Foundation and the SouthCoast Fund, check out SCCF’s 2021 Annual Report.
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Day
On May 13, we had a team of 20 volunteers working on a new home in Westport, MA. This new duplex house is the Buzzard’s Bay Area Habitat for Humanity’s first “passive build” and will have one of the highest home energy efficiency ratings – at least 70% more energy efficient than a standard new home built to code today.
Our team enjoyed learning first-hand about the materials and technology that goes into building a home that works well for people and the environment.
We are proud to be partnering with Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity and look forward to continuing to support their mission of bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope!
Falmouth Connection
Public Forum June 8th
On June 8th, Mayflower representatives joined the Falmouth Select Board for a community forum on the SouthCoast Wind project. Thank you to all the attendees who came out to learn more about our proposal. We appreciated the chance to hear questions and concerns from residents and look forward to future meetings with the community.
Here is a link to the presentation from Mayflower Wind.
2022 Annual Falmouth Fireworks Sponsors
After a two-year hiatus, we are now only a couple of weeks away from the 2022 Falmouth 4th of July Fireworks. This event, produced by the Falmouth Fireworks Committee, will be held off Falmouth Heights Beach. Mayflower Wind is proud to sponsor this historic community gathering.
“We are most appreciative of Mayflower Wind’s support of our 40th Anniversary show,” said Carolyn Woods, President of the Falmouth Fireworks Committee. “Their generous support will help us put on our biggest and best show ever for our Falmouth Community and our many visitors,” she added.
Prior to the festivities on the 4th, Mayflower representatives will be at the Falmouth Portuguese-American Association’s Bingo Night on June 23rd at the Navigator. A portion of the proceeds and 50/50 drawing will benefit the Falmouth Fireworks Committee. We encourage you to stop by our booth!
General
Mayflower-RPS PSO Training Program Kicks-off
Mayflower Wind and RPS are working together to provide local Native American communities with cost-free training and all certifications required to work as a Protected Species Observer (PSO). The first year of the program happened this past week in Fall River, Massachusetts. A big congratulations to the recent graduates Joshua Tripp of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of MA and RI and Mariah Hendricks of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
On vessels performing certain types of activities associated with marine surveys and construction, vessel crews include PSOs with the sole responsibility of monitoring for and directing vessel operations to avoid impacting and minimizing interactions with marine mammals and endangered species.
The newly trained PSOs have completed:
- PSO Certification course
- Monitoring Equipment Workshops
- Basic Offshore Safety Induction Egress Training (BOSIET)
- Offshore medical from an approved facility (OGUK, Norwegian)
- Additional professional safety and environmental training modules
Now that the certificates are in hand, the new PSOs will be deployed on an offshore survey program in the near future.
MassCEC Workforce Development Grant Awards
Congratulations to the nine Massachusetts organizations that have been awarded funds to continue developing their innovative workforce training programs that aim to increase access to clean energy careers, education, and training for previously underserved populations and specialized certification training courses for trade unions. Through MassCEC’s Offshore Wind Works Awards, the Baker-Polito Administration announced $3.8 million in grant funding. Mayflower Wind is contributing $125,000 towards the grants.
“Mayflower Wind offers its congratulations to the grantees who will play an important role in supporting Massachusetts’ offshore wind industry,” said Michael Brown, CEO of Mayflower Wind. “Mayflower Wind is committed to investing in our local communities and becoming an engine for economic and workforce development. Our support of today’s grantees, which includes education institutions and labor unions, is a demonstration of our commitment to helping to develop an offshore wind workforce. This investment not only will give people the tools they need to participate in this exciting industry but will also enable them to be part of helping Massachusetts and the country meet our clean energy goals,” Brown added.
We look forward to the upcoming July Port Hours, where we will debut our new 3D Offshore Model, a realistic visual simulation of Mayflower Wind’s offshore lease area. Through this 3D model, users will be able to navigate the offshore windfarm from a range of vessel types, as well as in a variety of different weather, sea, and lighting conditions.
If you’re interested in checking out the 3D Offshore Model, or want to chat with Mayflower Wind’s Fisheries Liaison Officer, we encourage you to stop by Port Hours:
- Thursday, July 7th (9am – 12pm) at Pier 3, 51 Macarthur Drive, New Bedford, MA, 02740
- Friday, July 8th (9am – 12pm) at Superior Trawl, 55 State Street, Narragansett, RI, 02882
*Please note that these locations may be subject to change – check the Events page on our website for the latest information.
For more information about Mayflower Wind’s offshore activities, Port Hours, and mariner engagement please visit the Mariners page on our website and consider signing up for Mariner Updates.
Benthic Survey Campaign Continues
The most recent round of geotechnical surveying within Mayflower Wind’s offshore lease area kicked off in April and will continue through the summer. Deep water vessel, Fugro Explorer is currently surveying the lease area collecting critical data about the seafloor and subsea conditions to inform the project design and permitting process. We post weekly updates to the survey area and vessel operating schedule on our Mariners page. We encourage boaters to maintain a safe distance of 0.5 nm from the vessels as their maneuverability may be significantly restricted.