The Moray West offshore wind off Scotland is comprised of 60 wind turbines that will generate a total capacity of 882 megawatts when completed in 2025. (Courtesy of Ocean Winds)
A proposal to run underwater power lines from a Massachusetts offshore wind farm through Rhode Island waters is back before state regulators, following a 14-month pause.
The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board voted unanimously Monday to resume consideration of SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC’s application to run transmission lines from its wind farm 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard up the Sakonnet River, over Portsmouth and out Mount Hope Bay to reach land in Somerset.
The 149-turbine array proposed for federal waters 60 miles south of the Rhode Island coastline is governed largely by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. But Rhode Island agencies also have a say over the portion of underwater transmission lines in state waters.
The initial, 1,200 megawatt SouthCoast Wind Farm would have supplied all of its power to Massachusetts under agreements inked in 2019. But in June 2023 , the developer walked away from those agreements, citing rising project costs and the need for a more favorable deal. In turn, the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board opted to halt its review of the transmission line component.