Keep in mind, too, this state just made a big commitment to expanding their use of hydro. RI is enjoying the benefits of a major offshore wind farm. Adding to it, in this case, could be too much of a good thing.
NARRAGANSETT — Vineyard Wind is facing an uphill battle to secure a key approval from Rhode Island coastal regulators for its proposed 800-megawatt offshore wind farm after a state fishing board refused to back the $2-billion project.
The Fishermen’s Advisory Board, which advises the Coastal Resources Management Council on fishing issues related to offshore wind, voted unanimously Monday to deny its support out of fear that the layout of the project’s 84 towering wind turbines in Rhode Island Sound would close off fishing grounds that are considered some of the most productive for the state’s commercial fleet.
The proposal is now set to go before the coastal council on Nov. 27, with what’s known as a “consistency certification” on the line. Vineyard Wind has asked for a stay in proceedings, but CRMC Executive Director Grover Fugate made it clear at the meeting on Monday that the current layout doesn’t fit within the Rhode Island policy that guides offshore development.
“Because of the [Ocean Special Area Management Plan], we’re there to protect the [fishing] industry,” he said. “We’re there to ensure that it continues into the future.”
Even though the Vineyard Wind project would supply power to Massachusetts and be located in federal waters far from the Rhode Island coast, the state has jurisdiction. Under federal law, if a project would affect Rhode Island coastal resources or activities, such as fishing, it must be carried out in a way that is consistent with state policies.
If the Rhode Island council denies certification, Vineyard Wind could appeal the decision to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But that would take time — and Vineyard Wind is under an extremely tight schedule to start construction by the end of next year to qualify for the federal tax credits that are the key to the project’s financial viability.
Vineyard Wind is the first large-scale offshore wind project in the nation to enter the permitting process. The proposal comes after Deepwater Wind, now Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind, completed a test project in 2016 off Block Island that is the first, and so far only, offshore wind farm in the United States.
The impasse with local fishermen comes at the same time that Vineyard Wind is competing with other developers to win a second contract of up to 350 megawatts to supply power to Rhode Island.
The disagreement could have broader implications for the offshore wind industry and its relations with fishing communities all along the Northeast coast that are already fearful of being shunted aside in the interests of new energy development.
“This is precedent-setting,” Fred Mattera, executive director of the East Farm Commercial Fisheries Center, said at the meeting with Vineyard Wind. “You’re the first one that’s coming to the table. Everybody’s looking.”
Vineyard Wind, staff with the coastal council and fishermen have been in negotiations for more than a year without finding common ground. The main sticking point has been the way the New Bedford companyproposes to arrange its turbines.
The configuration is critical because of a gentleman’s agreement worked out decades ago between fishermen who trawl for squid and other fish using nets towed behind their boats and those who fix gear to the ocean floor such as lobster traps or gill nets. Fixed gear is laid out in rows from east to west and spaced about one nautical mile (1.15 miles) apart, creating wide and predictable lanes for boats with mobile gear to fish between.
The wind farm, however, was laid out in rows that run from northwest to southeast, and spacing varies from one nautical mile to three-quarters of a nautical mile. Under that design, trawlers would not only snag their nets on traps and other fixed gear but would also run the risk of colliding with a turbine, fishermen say.
In its latest offer, Vineyard Wind agreed to a partial reconfiguration that would align about 20 to 25 percent of the roughly 118-square-mile area of development from east to west. The remaining 75 to 80 percent would remain in rows that run northeast to southwest.
In a filing submitted to Rhode Island regulators, the company presented the new layout and its decision to reduce the number of turbines by using larger models as an “extraordinary commitment.” CEO Lars Pedersen told fishermen at Monday’s meeting that the company had done all it could to accommodate the needs of the fishing community.
“Our goal is to allow fishing and offshore wind to coexist,” he said. “That it’s not two industries that are competing.”
But members of the fishing board weren’t convinced.
No comments:
Post a Comment