Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are increasing their presence in waters south of Martha’s Vineyard, according to a recent study, including large swaths of ocean slated for wind energy development.
In a 36-page opinion Wednesday, a panel of judges with the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the ACK for Whales group claim, which sought to halt the project currently being constructed about 14 miles to the Vineyard’s south.
Avangrid, Ocean Winds, Orsted and Vineyard Offshore all submitted plans Wednesday for farms in the 800,000 square-acre area off the Vineyard. Together, the proposals amount to more than 5,000 megawatts of power.
Vineyard Wind’s plans to build an observation tower next to the Tisbury Marine Terminal on Beach Road have been swapped out in favor of helping to fund a new public park and beach area.
Vineyard Wind parent company Avangrid announced the opening of applications for its fisheries compensation fund, a pot of money available to fishermen who have operated in waters where 62 offshore wind turbines are currently being constructed.
Five offshore wind turbines in the waters south of the Vineyard are now sending 68 megawatts of power to the regional grid, the first time such a project has ever delivered a consistent flow of electricity in Massachusetts.
After missing the initial goal of delivering power by the end of 2023, Vineyard Wind this week announced one of its first five wind turbines is now sending electricity to the grid.
