Wind Energy Project
to Double Off Mass Coast

North Sea wind energy project. Dong Energy (Danish Oil And Natural Gas) wind energy plans on a 187,000-acre site south of Martha’s Vineyard, MA that will contain about 100 turbines. Dong plans to sign on electric companies in long term contracts to gain customers. The company claims the project will not be visible from shore.

What could be North America’s largest offshore wind energy project is being proposed by Danish company Dong Energy A/S. The company, the world’s leading developer of offshore wind energy projects, wants to build up to 100 giant wind turbines about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The area selected is 187,000 acre site. When completed the development would be capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity, double that of the Cape Wind project proposed for the area. The Cape Wind project was dropped less than a year ago following financial setbacks. That project had also met with considerable resistance from real estate interests which claimed the view from expensive coastal homes would be compromised by the visibility of Cape Wind project.

The Dong Energy project would be located further from shore in waters and sea conditions – 50' water depths and 20 MPH winds – the company says they are accustomed to working in. They have developed several offshore wind energy projects in the North Sea where weather conditions and sea depths are similar to those south of Martha’s Vineyard.

Dong Energy recently acquired one of the leases for a section of ocean designated for wind energy projects by the United States government. They have not yet filed applications with federal or state government. The permitting process in Massachusetts and with the federal government is a long process and includes environmental imapct studies and approval for locating power lines coming ashore. The projects expected to take three years to build. The first phase is expected to have 35 turbines in service early in the next decade. The company would finance the project itself and therefore not be dependent on investors.