Saving Seafood

Ørsted Will Use Fewer, But Larger, Turbines; Cox Ledge Concerns Remain

June 3, 2021 — The developers of the South Fork Wind Farm said they have reduced the number of turbines they plan to connect to the South Fork from 15 to 12 — though the amount of power sent ashore in East Hampton will remain the same.

The shift is a product of the availability of much larger turbines than when the project was originally proposed. An Ørsted spokesperson said that the company has settled on using 11 megawatt turbines for the project, which allows the total number of turbines to be reduced from 15 to 12 while still meeting the 132-megawatt planned power supply that the company has agreed to with the Long Island Power Authority.

The turbines used in the Block Island Wind Farm, and visible from the shores of Montauk on clear days, are rated at 6 megawatts. They tower to about 590 feet above the surface of the sea, while the current 11-megawatt Siemens turbines reach nearly 800 feet and a turbine being produced by GE that will also top the 11 megawatt nameplate tower soars to more than 850 feet.

But it also comes amid the public review process of the project by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. Analysts and fishing groups from around New England and New York have objected to the company placing the turbines in ecologically sensitive areas close to Cox Ledge — an undersea ridge of rocky bottom that is an important fishing area for Montauk and Rhode Island fishermen and a critical nursery for bottom dwelling fish species like the beleaguered Atlantic cod.

Read the full story at The Southampton Press

South Fork Wind Farm to reduce turbines but fishing group has ‘serious concerns’

June 1, 2021 — Developers of a planned offshore wind farm to power the South Fork have agreed to reduce the number of turbines for the LIPA-contracted project to 12 from 15, but Rhode Island fishermen offered a $12 million compensation package say the turbine reduction won’t help and the package is inadequate.

Orsted and Eversource, partners on the $2 billion-plus project set to be built off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts by 2023, disclosed the change last week before a Rhode Island coastal commission that is considering whether to issue a permit for the project.

In a statement, the companies said they will “move forward with the reduction of the project’s total turbines from 15 to 12,” while offering a compensation package for Rhode Island fishermen. The $12 million, if accepted, would cover lost earnings, among other things, for those kept from fishing either by construction or placement of the turbines themselves.

Read the full story at Newsday

Rhode Island Fishermen Also Peeved With South Fork Wind

May 27, 2021 — In a virtual meeting of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council on Tuesday night, members of its fisheries advisory board strongly objected to the council’s conclusion that the South Fork Wind Farm’s new “minimization alternative” — 12 wind turbine generators instead of 15, reducing its footprint — and a $12 million fisheries compensation package, are consistent with the state’s Ocean Special Area Management Plan.

The advisory board also took exception to the state council’s inclination to issue “conditional concurrence” pursuant to federal regulations. The project needs the council’s approval, along with that of a host of other state, federal, and local authorities.

The wind farm as first proposed called for a 15-turbine, 90-megawatt setup. Advances in technology have allowed instead for a 130-megawatt installation, using no more than 15 turbines. The South Fork Wind Farm will now have 12 wind turbine generators, its developers having entered into a contractual obligation with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for 11-megawatt turbines.

The developers, Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind and Eversource Energy, have also modified the layout, to a one-by-one nautical-mile grid.

Read the full story at The East Hampton Star

RHODE ISLAND: Alleging ‘backroom deal,’ fishermen’s group opposes new plan for South Fork Wind Farm

May 25, 2021 — A board of fishermen that advises Rhode Island coastal regulators on offshore wind development has come out in opposition to  state certification of the South Fork Wind Farm.

A lawyer for the Fishermen’s Advisory Board said a recommendation by staff at the Coastal Resources Management Council that was agreed to by developers Ørsted and Eversource to reduce the number of turbines in the 132-megawatt project and set up a fishing compensation fund does not meet the concerns of board members.

“It was a backroom deal that happened over the weekend without our participation,” said Marisa Desautel.

She spoke Tuesday morning, hours before the coastal council was set to vote on a mitigation package that includes a reduction in the number of wind turbines from 15 to 12 and the creation of a $12-million fund, to be paid into over 30 years, that would compensate fishermen for lost access to fishing grounds in the project area in Rhode Island Sound.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

Few assurances for fishermen in federal offshore wind approval

May 17, 2021 — Offshore wind developers have assured the commercial fishing industry all along that the thousands of massive turbines that they want to install in the ocean up and down the East Coast won’t block fishermen from waters where they make their living.

But the final approval issued this week for Vineyard Wind 1, the nation’s first major offshore wind farm, offers few guarantees to commercial fishermen.

Take for instance this passage from the Army Corps of Engineers in the Record of Decision for the 62-turbine project that would be built off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts:

“While Vineyard Wind is not authorized to prevent free access to the entire wind development area, due to the placement of the turbines it is likely that the entire 75,614 acre area will be abandoned by commercial fisheries due to difficulties with navigation.”

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

Amid negotiations, R.I. fishing industry remains concerned over offshore wind impact, compensation

May 7, 2021 — What is the price of loss of livelihood?

This question is at the center of negotiations between local fishing industry representatives and offshore wind developers. And despite recent efforts to strike a better deal, some local fishermen say no number is high enough to justify the devastation they believe the projects will create for their jobs and industry.

The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council at the urging of Gov. Daniel J. McKee delayed its approval of the South Fork Wind Farm to give developers Orsted A/S and Eversource Energy more time to reach an agreement with the fishing industry, the Associated Press has reported.

The CRMC through its Ocean Special Area Management Plan gets a say in the federal certification process for wind farm projects within a certain distance of the state coastline. Compensation is intended to offset losses from the construction and operation of the projects to the fishing industry.

The payouts help Rhode Island and Massachusetts fishermen, but there are no such benefits for fishermen in other states, even though many also fish in these areas. Other states also get no say in the federal approval process, unlike Rhode Island.

“Rhode Island holds the keys to the kingdom,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director for the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.

Read the full story at the Providence Business News

Northeast squid: Recovery slow, but Rhode Island harvesters welcome restaurants’ return

May 4, 2021 — More than half of all squid landings in the Northeast come from Rhode Island. But last year, as a result of the pandemic, some Rhode Island fleets saw earnings dip by 30 percent.

Jason Didden, a fishery management specialist at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, says that so far in 2021, total longfin landing are off to a slow start at less than 5 million pounds landed, compared to this time last year when around 11 million pounds had been landed. Illex season typically gets started in May and 2021 squid quotas are the same as 2020: 23,400 metric tons for longfin and 30,000 metric tons for illex. (The illex quota was expected to be reviewed in May.)

Coming off a troubling year has taken great effort. Kat Smith, Director of marketing and communications at Town Dock, a large processor distributor based in Narragansett, R.I., says “at this point, things are still not back to normal — although we’re glad that the light at the end of the tunnel gets closer every day. There continues to be a global shipping container shortage, covid-related disruptions, and now, the Suez Canal issue, all of which have supply chain impacts for seafood and many other industries.” 

Two Town Dock products, says Smith, Rhode Island calamari (longfin inshore squid) and premium domestic calamari (northern shortfin squid), which are both caught in Rhode Island and are Marine Stewardship Council certified sustainable, are always popular.

“When we look at our foodservice offerings, we are certainly better than this time last year — restaurants are ramping up with states’ reopening plans, and more people are vaccinated and excited to go out to eat. Calamari — and seafood, in general — has also enjoyed year-over-year growth in retail and grocery stores. The demand is very good; once the supply chain has sorted itself out, we are excited for the opportunities ahead.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Revolution Wind project moves forward with start to federal permitting review

April 30, 2021 — Plans to bring 400 megawatts of wind power to Rhode Island are advancing, with the federal agency in charge of issuing the project permits on Thursday announcing the start to its review process.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in a statement said it will begin its formal review and decision on the 100-turbine Revolution Wind project proposed for federal waters off the coast of Block Island. The process begins with a public comment period and review of the project for its impact on wildlife, fishing and boating industries and other economic and environmental factors before the agency issues a final decision.

International renewable energy developer Orsted A/S, which jointly proposed the project with the utility company Eversource Energy, previously announced its original 2023 completion date would likely be delayed due to uncertainty in the federal permitting process under the previous presidential administration.

With BOEM’s announcement Thursday, the company will “soon be in a position to better refine the project’s timeline,” Orsted spokeswoman Meaghan Wims said in an email on Thursday.

In a statement, the company called the federal agency notice  “the most significant permitting milestone to date.”

Read the full story at Providence Business News

BOEM to start environmental review of proposed wind farm off Massachusetts, Rhode Island coast

April 30, 2021 — The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Thursday it is about to open a 30-day public comment period for an offshore wind farm, Revolution Wind, planned for waters south of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

This comment period kicks off the environmental review of the project. If BOEM approves it, Revolution Wind would be allowed to construct and operate an 880-megawatt (MW) wind energy facility. The Vineyard Wind project is slated to be 800 MW.

BOEM will hold three virtual public meetings and accept comments to inform the preparation of the environmental impact statement.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

RHODE ISLAND: Decision delayed on major offshore wind farm as McKee takes closer interest

April 28, 2021 — At the request of Gov. Dan McKee, state coastal regulators are putting off a key decision on the South Fork Wind Farm to give the project developers more time to reach a compensation agreement with the fishing industry.

Pressure is growing for Orsted and Eversource to find common ground with fishermen, as McKee’s office has signaled a closer interest in the talks.

The Coastal Resources Management Council was expected to consider a federal consistency certification at its meeting this week for the wind farm of up to 15 turbines that would be built in Rhode Island Sound and supply power to Long Island. Agency staff were preparing to present a recommendation to the council at the April 29 meeting and a vote could have taken place that night.

But last Friday, with the possibility that staff could recommend a denial of the certification, Orsted, the Danish company developing the project with utility Eversource, agreed to stay the proceedings and extend the deadline for a decision from May 12 to June 1. A vote is now set for May 25, according to Orsted.

“We fully support the CRMC’s new timeline, as it allows for more dialogue and opportunity to work collectively to reach a fair mitigation agreement and advance this important offshore wind project,” said Orsted spokeswoman Meaghan Wims.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal