New England offshore wind leaseholders Equinor, Mayflower Wind, Ørsted, Eversource and Vineyard Wind have submitted a uniform turbine layout proposal to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
The layout specifies that turbines will be spaced 1 nautical mile apart, arranged in east-west rows and north-south columns, with the rows and columns continuous across the seven lease areas.
The proposal addresses four principal concerns, including navigation safety, the fisheries’ request for uniform and consistent spacing between turbines throughout the New England Wind Energy Area (NE WEA), the creation of distinct transit corridors, and the facilitation of search and rescue operations conducted by vessel and aircraft.
According to the leaseholders, independent analysis confirmed that the uniform layout would provide for robust navigational safety and search and rescue capability by providing hundreds of transit corridors to accommodate vessel traffic.
The proposed layout also reflects public comments from New England maritime stakeholders and will allow mariners to safely transit from one end of the NE WEA to the other without unexpected obstacles, the companies said.
“In response to feedback from key stakeholders, we have proposed to adopt a uniform turbine layout across our adjacent New England lease areas,” the joint statement writes.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the USCG, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, coastal states, the fisheries industry, and other stakeholders involved to ensure continued coexistence of every ocean user in the region, including offshore wind.”