Biden Administration Approves “Vineyard Wind” Wind Farm off Coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Last week, the Biden Administration approved a $2.8 billion “Vineyard Wind” wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. It will be the first major wind farm to be built in federal waters. The wind farm is expected to be fully operational in 2023 and supply power to some 400,000 East Coast homes. The project is a step forward in President Biden’s energy agenda, which has a goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade.

Vineyard Wind will encompass up to 84 wind turbines, each separated by at least one nautical mile. While two smaller federal wind farms have been created off the East Coast, this is the first of its caliber. With this project set to move forward, it may pave the way for additional wind farms to receive approval.

In a news release, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland spoke about the project, saying that “A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the administration’s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation.”

The project’s approval is the latest step in a nearly two-decade effort to install wind turbines off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Although the Administration has approved the project, there is still pushback expected from the fishing industry. The Interior Department has acknowledged that the fishing industry could be impacted but says the project has taken these concerns into account.