Massachusetts Activities

What’s New? 

Sunrise Wind

On March 26, 2024, the Department of the Interior announced the approval of the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project. The Sunrise Wind project will have a total capacity of 924-megawatt (MW) of clean, renewable energy that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) estimates could power more than 320,000 homes per year. The lease area is located approximately 16.4 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., approximately 26.5 nm east of Montauk, N.Y., and approximately 14.5 nm from Block Island, R.I. The Record of Decision (ROD) documents the decision to approve the construction of up to 84 wind turbines within the lease area. 

Vineyard Northeast  

On Mar. 22, 2024, BOEM announced that on March 25, 2024, it would publish a “Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Vineyard Northeast Project on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Massachusetts.” The March 25, 2024, publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) opened a 45-day public comment period for the Vineyard Northeast Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ending at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 9, 2024. The public scoping process is to identify issues and potential alternatives for consideration in the EIS. During the comment period, BOEM will hold two virtual and two in-person public scoping meetings. More information is available on the Vineyard Northeast project page.   

The following documents are available for your viewing.

During the open public comment period, BOEM will hold two virtual and two in-person public meetings. More information can be found on the Vineyard Northeast page. 

New England Wind 

On Feb. 26, 2024, BOEM announced the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed New England Wind project, located about 20 nautical miles (nm) from the southwest corner of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and about 24 nm from Nantucket, Mass.

The following documents are available for your viewing.

See more on the New England Wind project page

Beacon Wind

On Feb. 1, 2024, BOEM announced the publication of the Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for Additional Site Assessment Activities on Beacon Wind, LLC’s Renewable Energy Lease OCS-A 0520 in the Federal Register on Feb. 2, 2024. The publication opens a 30-day public comment period for the Draft EA which closes on Mar. 4, 2024.  

See more on Beacon Wind project page.

Efforts Underway

There are several renewable energy efforts underway offshore Massachusetts. 

Public Engagement

BOEM coordinates Outer Continental Shelf renewable energy activities offshore Massachusetts with its federal, state, local, and tribal government partners through its Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force. BOEM also coordinates public information meetings to help keep interested stakeholders updated on major renewable energy milestones. To obtain information discussed during these meetings click on the links below.

Related Press Releases

Environmental Studies

BOEM has funded or considered numerous studies to collect information about the marine environment to support decisions concerning offshore renewable energy development. For more information, please visit: http://www.boem.gov/Massachusetts-Environmental-Studies.

Visual Simulations

In response to stakeholder interest regarding visual impacts from potential future renewable energy development within the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Areas, BOEM undertook a project to develop daytime and nighttime photomontages and 24 hour day-through-night videos to simulate what turbines might look like if these six lease areas were fully developed.