New England Wind (OCS-A 0534) Construction and Operations Plan (COP)

Abstract

New England Wind is the proposal to develop offshore renewable wind energy facilities in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease Area OCS-A 0534 along with associated offshore and onshore cabling, onshore substations, and onshore operations and maintenance (O&M) facilities. Lease Area OCS-A 0534 is within the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area identified by BOEM, following a public process and environmental review, as suitable for wind energy development. Park City Wind LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Avangrid Renewables, LLC, is the Proponent of this Construction and Operations Plan (COP) and will be responsible for the construction, operation, and decommissioning of New England Wind.

New England Wind’s offshore renewable wind energy facilities are located immediately southwest of Vineyard Wind 1, which is located in Lease Area OCS-A 0501. New England Wind will occupy all of Lease Area OCS-A 0534 and potentially a portion of Lease Area OCS-A 0501 in the event that Vineyard Wind 1 does not develop “spare” or extra positions included in Lease Area OCS-A 0501 and Vineyard Wind 1 assigns those positions to Lease Area OCS-A 0534. For the purposes of the COP, the Southern Wind Development Area (SWDA) is defined as all of Lease Area OCS-A 0534 and the southwest portion of Lease Area OCS-A 0501, as shown in Figure 1.1-1 of COP Volume I.

New England Wind will be developed in two Phases with a maximum of 130 wind turbine generator (WTG) and electrical service platform (ESP) positions. Phase 1 which includes Park City Wind, will be developed immediately southwest of Vineyard Wind 1. Phase 2, which includes Commonwealth Wind, will be located southwest of Phase 1 and occupy the remainder of the SWDA. Each Phase of New England Wind will be developed and permitted using a Project Design Envelope (the “Envelope”). This allows the Proponent to properly define and bracket the characteristics of each Phase for the purposes of environmental review while maintaining a reasonable degree of flexibility with respect to the selection of key components (e.g. WTGs, foundations, submarine cables, and ESPs). To assess potential impacts and benefits to various resources, a “maximum design scenario,” or the design scenario with the maximum impacts anticipated for that resource, is established (see Section 3 of COP Volume III).

The SWDA may be 411–453 square kilometers (km2) (101,590–111,939 acres) in size depending upon the final footprint of the Vineyard Wind 1 project. At this time, the Proponent does not intend to develop the two positions in the separate aliquots located along the northeastern boundary of Lease Area OCS-A 0501 as part of New England Wind. The SWDA (excluding the two separate aliquots that are closer to shore) is just over 32 kilometers (km) (20 miles [mi]) from the southwest corner of Martha’s Vineyard and approximately 38 km (24 mi) from Nantucket.1 In accordance with US Coast Guard (USCG) recommendations, the WTGs and ESP(s) in the SWDA will be oriented in fixed east-to-west rows and north-to-south columns with one nautical mile (1.85 km) spacing between positions. This uniform grid layout provides 1 NM wide corridors in the east-west and north-south directions as well as 0.7 NM (1.3 km) wide corridors in the northwest-southeast and northeast-southwest directions.

Five offshore export cables―two cables for Phase 1 and three cables for Phase 2―will transmit electricity from the SWDA to shore.2 Unless technical, logistical, grid interconnection, or other unforeseen issues arise, all New England Wind offshore export cables will be installed within a shared Offshore Export Cable Corridor (OECC) that will travel from the northwestern corner of the SWDA along the northwestern edge of Lease Area OCS-A 0501 (through Vineyard Wind 1) and then head northward along the eastern side of Muskeget Channel toward landfall sites in the Town of Barnstable (see Figure 2.3-1 of COP Volume I).3 The OECC for New England Wind is largely the same OECC proposed in the approved Vineyard Wind 1 COP, but it has been widened to the west along the entire corridor and to the east in portions of Muskeget Channel. The two Vineyard Wind 1 offshore export cables will also be installed within the New England Wind OECC. To avoid cable crossings, the Phase 1 cables are expected to be located to the west of the Vineyard Wind 1 cables and, subsequently, the Phase 2 cables are expected to be installed to the west of the Phase 1 cables.

Each Phase of New England Wind will have a separate onshore transmission system located in the Town of Barnstable.4 The Phase 1 onshore facilities will ultimately include one of two potential landfall sites, one of two potential Onshore Export Cable Routes, one new onshore substation, and one of two potential Grid Interconnection Routes, which are identified in Figure 2.4-1 of COP Volume I. Phase 2 will include one or two landfall sites, one or two Onshore Export Cable Routes, and one or two Grid Interconnection Routes. The Proponent has considered two site options for the Phase 2 substation. The potential landfall sites, Onshore Export Cable Routes, onshore substation site options, and Grid Interconnection Routes are illustrated on Figure 2.4-1 of COP Volume I.

Volume I

Volume I - Text (Updated February 2024)

Volume I - Appendices 

  • Appendix I-A Wind Turbine Generator, Electrical Service Platform, and Reactive Compensation Station  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix I-B Draft New England Wind Health, Safety, and Environmental Management System
  • Appendix I-C Statement of Qualifications for Certified Verification Agent (CVA) Services for Phase
  • Appendix I-D CVA Scope of Work and Verification Plan for Phase 1
  • Appendix I-E Hierarchy of Standards
  • Appendix I-F Draft Oil Spill Response Plan  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix I-G Offshore Export Cable Corridor Routing Analysis  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix I-H New England Wind Survey Equipment List (Updated February 2024)

Volume II-A

Volume II-A Text (Updated February 2024)

Volume II-A Appendices

  • Appendix II-A Data Processing and Quality Summary
  • Appendix II-B Hazard Definitions
  • Appendix II-C 2016 Geophysical Operations Report
  • Appendix II-D 2016 Geotechnical Operations Report
  • Appendix II-E 2017 Geophysical and Geotechnical Operations Report
  • Appendix II-F 2019 Geotechnical Interpretative Report (GIR)
  • Appendix II-G MEC-UXO Desktop Studies
  • Appendix II-H 2016-2020 Benthic Reports (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix II-I New England Wind Drawings 

Volume II-B

Volume II-B Appendices

  • Appendix II-J Route Position Listings for Cable Corridor
    Appendix II-K Side Scan Sonar Contact Listings
    Appendix II-L Magnetic Anomaly Listings
    Appendix II-M 2016 Grab Sample Results
    Appendix II-N 2016 CPT and Borehole Logs and Lab Results
    Appendix II-O 2017 Grab Sample Photographs and Grain Size Results
    Appendix II-P 2017 Vibracore Photographs, Grain Size, and Geotechnical Test Results
    Appendix II-Q 2018 Geophysical and Geotechnical Operations Report-Alpine
    Appendix II-R 2018 Geophysical & Geotechnical Operations Report-Seaforth
    Appendix II-S 2018 Geotechnical Operations Report-Horizon, Boreholes
    Appendix II-T 2018 Geotechnical Operations Report-Geoquip, CPTs
    Appendix II-U 2016 Borehole Lab Testing – Fugro
    Appendix II-V 2018 Geotechnical Factual Report – Horizon, Boreholes
    Appendix II-W 2018 Geotechnical Factual Report – Geoquip, CPTs
    Appendix II-X 2018 Vibracore Logging and Lab Results
    Appendix II-Y 2018 Shallow CPT Results
    Appendix II-Z 2018 Grab Sample Results
    Appendix II-AA 2020 Ground Model Report – Geo SubSea
     

Volume II-C

Volume II-C Appendices

  • Appendix II-AB 2019 Geophysical Operations Report – TerraSond
    Appendix II-AC 2019 Geophysical Operations Report - EGS
    Appendix II-AD 2019 Geotechnical Operations Report – Horizon
    Appendix II-AE 2019 Geophysical and Geotechnical Operations Report - Seaforth
    Appendix II-AF 2019 Geotechnical Operations Report - Alpine
    Appendix II-AG 2019 Geotechnical Factual Report – Horizon
    Appendix II-AH 2019 Vibracore Logging and Lab Results
    Appendix II-AI 2019 Shallow CPT Results
    Appendix II-AJ 2019 Grab Sample Results
    Appendix II-AK 2016-2020 Geotechnical Clearance Memos and Plots
    Appendix II-AL 2020 Geophysical Operation/Field Reports – EGS
    Appendix II-AM 2020 Geotechnical Operation/Field Reports – EGS
    Appendix II-AN 2020 Grab Sample Results – RPS
    Appendix II-AO 2020 CPT and Boring Samples – Geoquip
    Appendix II-AP 2020 Vibracore Results – EGS
    Appendix II-AQ 2020 Boring Results – Geoquip
    Appendix II-AR New England Wind Phase 2 Feasibility of Suction Bucket Design
     

Volume II-D

Volume II-D - Marine Archaeological Resource Assessment Reports (Non-technical Public Summary)

Volume III

  • Volume III Text (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-A Sediment Transport Modeling  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-B Air Emissions Calculations and Methodology  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-C Supporting Material for Avian Assessment: Analysis Methods and Results  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-D Representative Terrestrial Wildlife Species List  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-E Fisheries Communication Plan  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-F Essential Fish Habitat Assessment  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-G Preliminary Terrestrial Archaeology Resources Report and Permit Applications (Non-technical Public Summary)
  • Appendix III-H.a Visual Impact Assessment  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-H.b Historic Properties Visual Impact Assessment (Non-technical Public Summary)
  • Appendix III-I Navigation Safety Risk Assessment  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-J Aviation Impact Assessment   (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-K Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) Efficacy Analysis  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-L Economic Analysis for New England Wind   (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-M Assessing the Potential Acoustic Impact on Marine Fauna during Construction of New England Wind   (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-N Draft Economic Exposure of Commercial Fisheries  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-O Community and Environmental Benefits  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-P New England Wind Offshore Export Cable Route Detailed Design
  • Appendix III-Q New England Wind Scour Potential Evaluation   (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-R Draft Piping Plover Protection Plan ( (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-S Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification  (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-T New England Wind Maximum Potential Seafloor Disturbance Tables   (Updated February 2024)
  • Appendix III-U Benthic Habitat Monitoring Plan Framework

Addendum (Phase 2 Offshore Export Cable Corridor, South Coast Variant)

  • Addendum Text (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix A Marine Site Investigation Report (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix B Sediment Transport Modeling (Updated April 2022)  
  • Appendix C Essential Fish Habitat Assessment (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix D Onshore Routing Envelope Archaeological Due Diligence  
  • Appendix E Marine Archaeological Resources Assessment  (Non-technical Public Summary)
  • Appendix F Economic Exposure of Commercial Fisheries (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix G Navigation and Vessel Crossing Analysis (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix H Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certifications (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix I Benthic Habitat Monitoring Plan Framework (Updated April 2022)
  • Appendix J Preliminary Cable Burial Risk Assessment and Dredging 
This document is related to the New England Wind 1 and 2 Project Site.