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By Adrienne Wartts
Research efforts led by SMAST scientists at the forefront of Decision of Record for Vineyard Wind’s commercial offshore wind project–the first in the nation.
Last week, Vineyard Wind received the Record of Decision, issued by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), for the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project. The project will launch the offshore wind industry in the U.S. and bring thousands of jobs, reduce carbon pollution, and lower cost for ratepayers, according to the company’s press release.
In 2018, as part of UMass Dartmouth's emerging Blue Economy Initiative, Vineyard Wind entered into an agreement with the School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST) to conduct pre- and post-construction assessments of fisheries and associated ecological conditions related to offshore wind. With stakeholder input, surveys were designed and conducted by SMAST scientists using different methods of data collection, including trawl surveys, ventless traps, and drop camera surveys. Professors Steven Cadrin, Pingguo He, and Kevin Stokesbury of SMAST’s Department of Fisheries Oceanography led these efforts.
According to a May 11, 2021 press release issued by the Baker-Polito Administration, the key federal permitting approval allows Vineyard Wind to advance its Construction and Operations Plan to bring 800 megawatts of cost-effective, renewable offshore wind power to Massachusetts ratepayers, enough to power 400,000 homes. This Record of Decision also supports the Biden Administration’s goal of jumpstarting offshore wind projects to create jobs and bring 30 gigawatts online by the year 2030.