Project News – Week of July 13

In this issue, we’ll update you on:

• SouthCoast Wind CEO Transition
• Fisheries Port Hours
• Geotechnical Survey Vessels Launch
• Joint Statement on Vineyard Wind Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

We encourage your questions, comments, and feedback. Email us at info@southcoastwind.com.

SouthCoast Wind CEO Transition

John Hartnett, who has led SouthCoast Wind since its launch, is retiring from his position with Shell, one of the two parent companies supporting the project. Unfortunately, this means that he will be leaving SouthCoast Wind– a transition that will be eased by his willingness to act as a Senior Advisor during an interim period.

Michael Brown, who served as Chief Financial Officer and Deputy CEO, is now our CEO and Project Director. Michael’s extensive experience in offshore wind development and his deep involvement in all aspects of SouthCoast Wind’s efforts set the stage for a seamless transition.

Fisheries Port Hours

Fisheries Liaisons from SouthCoast Wind, Equinor, Ørsted/Eversource, and Vineyard Wind are available during port hours for commercial and recreational fishing inquiries, comments, and feedback for the Rhode Island/Massachusetts offshore wind energy areas.

Please stop by for informal conversation at:

New Bedford Port Authority
52 Fishermen’s Wharf, New Bedford, MA 02740
July 16, 8 am-12 pm

You may reach Joel Southall, SouthCoast Wind’s Fisheries Liaison Officer, at 617-817-4682 or joel.southall@southcoastwind.com.

Geotechnical Survey Vessels Launch

Geotechnical survey vessels launch from New Bedford, Massachusetts and Port Elizabeth, New Jersey on July 15 to kick off site investigation as part of SouthCoast Wind’s 2020 geophysical and geotechnical (G&G) survey campaign. Ongoing geophysical surveys have gathered data about the seafloor and subsea since April for evaluation in preparing the project’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP). The COP, a requirement for federal permitting, continues to be developed in coordination with regulatory agencies, mariners, Native American tribes, and port and fishing communities. The G&G surveys will extend through late summer and take place within SouthCoast Wind’s lease area (OCS-A 0521) and potential export cable routes.

Fugro, a global leader in geo-data for energy and infrastructure industries, is conducting the geotechnical survey in the lease area utilizing the vessel R/V Fugro Explorer. Survey crews drill small diameter boreholes for detailed soil analysis that informs the foundation design for turbine locations and other project facilities. The specialist firm Alpine is collecting shallow vibracore (geotechnical and geoarchaeological) samples along the export cable routes using the vessel R/V Shearwater.

Vessels have on board Protected Species Observers (PSOs) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) operators to identify and appropriately manage any issues involving protected marine wildlife, especially marine mammals and sea turtles.

Safety is SouthCoast Wind’s top priority.  All survey activities are performed in accordance with federal and state regulations and health and safety policies and procedures. COVID-19 response plans have been incorporated into vessel operators’ emergency response plans.

Joint Statement on Vineyard Wind Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

The five New England offshore wind leaseholders – SouthCoast Wind, Equinor, Ørsted/Eversource, and Vineyard Wind – released a statement on the Supplement to the Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that was posted to the Federal Register on June 12, 2020.

Our companies issued the following joint statement:

“The release of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) marks a significant milestone for the US offshore wind industry and we – the developers of the New England lease areas – appreciate the efforts of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in completing a critically important step in the permitting process in spite of challenges associated with COVID-19.  We also want to thank all of the cooperating agencies for their work.

The SEIS provides an evaluation of the foreseeable cumulative impacts of projects from North Carolina to Maine and provides a framework for future development of the industry given the demand for offshore wind on the US East Coast that can continue to be refined as projects are built.

We’re pleased that the document, while clearly outlining both positive and negative impacts of a future buildout of projects, also makes clear that there is much that can be done to ensure the positive outweighs the negative.

For instance, last year we announced a commitment to a uniform 1 x 1 nautical mile spacing between each turbine located in the New England lease areas – a move does much to eliminate concerns regarding navigational and mariner safety.  This layout creates more distance between turbines than any offshore wind projects operating globally, establishing more than 200 transit lanes in all directions through the lease areas and allows the projects to move forward and continue to bring local jobs and direct investment to the US.

We have also made significant commitments to collecting, using, and sharing credible scientific data to ensure that any impacts from projects are well understood and to use science to inform mitigations to the greatest extent possible. We continue to work collaboratively with scientists, federal and state agencies and local communities to ensure responsible coexistence with all users of the New England lease areas.

We look forward to working with BOEM and all stakeholders as we launch a domestic energy transition that will create tens of thousands of jobs, billions in direct, private investments and dramatically reduce the amount of carbon emissions that are a driving factor of climate change.”

To learn more and submit comments, visit the BOEM web portal.  BOEM has also established a virtual meeting room where you can download fact sheets and watch pre-recorded video presentations about various topics.  The 45-day public comment period ends on July 27.

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!