+ Who reviews and permits offshore wind projects?
Offshore wind projects are subject to extensive permit reviews through federal, state, regional, and local regulators. In Massachusetts, this includes the Massachusetts Environmental Policy (MEPA) Office, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Energy Facilities Siting Board, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife, which includes the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
On the federal level, permit review occurs through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). BOEM’s review is conducted with extensive comments and review from other federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, US Coast Guard, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
On the local level, the Nantucket Conservation Commission approved the portion of the project located within Nantucket waters.
Learn more about Vineyard Wind 1’s permitting process here.
+ What are the climate benefits of Vineyard Wind 1?
Once fully operational, Vineyard Wind 1 is expected to reliably produce the amount of energy used by over 400,000 Massachusetts homes. The power produced by the project will eliminate 1.68 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually – the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the road. The direct emissions generated during Vineyard Wind 1’s construction, operation, and decommissioning will be offset after less than five months of the project achieving commercial operation.
+ Will the wind turbines be visible from Nantucket?
Vineyard Wind 1’s wind turbines may be visible from certain portions of Nantucket throughout the year. However, due to the project’s distance from shore (approximately 15 miles), no land-based vantage point on Nantucket will view an entire wind turbine; some portion of each wind turbine will always fall below the visible horizon. The visibility of the project during daylight hours will be impacted by weather conditions, air quality, sea spray, and other atmospheric conditions that limit visibility and obscure shoreline views.
+ What steps have been taken to reduce the visual impact of Vineyard Wind 1?
Vineyard Wind worked constructively with Nantucket leadership to resolve visual impact concerns. Through the Good Neighbor Agreement, Vineyard Wind agreed to move the project’s first row of turbines farther away from Nantucket, to install a lighting system that will be activated only when planes are nearby that reduces nighttime lighting to fewer than four hours per year, and to paint the turbines an off-white color to reduce their visibility.
+ What is ADLS?
Vineyard Wind agreed to install an Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) on Vineyard Wind 1. ADLS is a radar-activated lighting system that activates only when planes are within a specified distance of wind turbines. ADLS reduces the nighttime lighting of offshore wind projects and the associated visual impacts. Based on the historical use of the airspace surrounding Vineyard Wind 1, the ADLS will be activated for less than four hours per year (less than 0.1% of the total annual nighttime hours). A simulation video showing ADLS on Vineyard Wind 1 can be viewed here. Note that due to the speed of the traveling aircraft and size of lease area OCS-A 0501, the resulting appearance of the lights is limited to a few minutes as they turn on and then off quickly as demonstrated in the simulation video.
+ When will the ADLS be operational?
Vineyard Wind is currently installing the ADLS on Vineyard Wind 1. The technology will be implemented on commissioned wind turbines on a rolling basis. As this effort progresses, Vineyard Wind will provide regular updates on the town of Nantucket.