Offshore Wind Initiatives

• Stakeholder Engagement – MassCEC serves as a focal point for constructive engagement between industry, government and a wide range of non-government organizations and institutions on offshore wind topics.  Since 2009 we have worked closely with Executive Branch agencies and BOEM to seek stakeholder input on the offshore wind energy areas.  To augment this effort, Massachusetts formed a Fisheries Work Group and a Habitat Working Group to inform the work of BOEM’s Intergovernmental Task Force.  As of early 2017, Massachusetts has held over 100 public and stakeholder meetings relating to the offshore wind energy areas, and other topics such as offshore wind transmission options and research and innovation.

• Wildlife Data – MassCEC is proud to co-sponsor and manage a variety of studies on marine wildlife focused around gathering baseline data to inform the federal permitting process and accelerate the responsible sitting of offshore wind projects. Check out some of our more recent studies in more detail below: 

  • Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Surveys – Aerial surveys, acoustic monitoring and oceanographic surveys led by the New England Aquarium to document the presence of endangered marine mammals and sea turtles in the region of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island offshore wind energy areas. The surveys are funded by MassCEC, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and, beginning in 2020, offshore wind developers.

  • Related Wildlife Analyses – Independent analyses and stakeholder processes to synthesize results from ongoing survey activity and establish frameworks and priorities for ongoing monitoring of wildlife and offshore wind. 

  • Seabird Surveys – Aerial surveys led by the College of Staten Island to quantify the distribution and abundance of seabirds in the region of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island offshore wind energy areas. The surveys were funded by MassCEC and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Click here to view the final report.   

• Pilot Regional Fisheries Studies – MassCEC, in partnership with the State of Rhode Island and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), supports regional fisheries studies that collect data vital to the ongoing development of the offshore wind industry in North America. The first-in-the-nation studies conduct important research on recreational and commercial fisheries, seabed habitat, and comparable offshore wind policies in Europe. View here to read more and view the most recent progress reports for these studies.

• Metocean Data – MassCEC is partnering with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and AWS Truepower to collect hub height wind speed and other metocean data near federal offshore wind energy areas using a WindCube LIDAR installed on a WHOI-owned platform located one mile south of Martha’s Vineyard. The first full year of data collection was completed in October 2017 and a second year of data collection is currently underway. Data and analysis products are available on MassCEC’s Metocean Data page.

• Massachusetts Offshore Wind Ports & Infrastructure Assessments – Numerous under-utilized waterside facilities exist within Massachusetts ports and harbors, and many of these properties have potential to be repurposed to meet the needs of the new offshore wind industry.  They include former coastal power plant properties, former shipyard facilities, and other marine industrial facilities.  These facilities are in waterfront locations and have existing infrastructure and other attributes that present significant opportunities for manufacturing and fabrication, staging and pre-assembly, and the operation and maintenance sectors of the offshore wind supply chain.  To maximize economic development opportunities in Massachusetts associated with the emerging offshore wind industry, MassCEC conducted two assessments to identify and assess waterfront sites in the Commonwealth that may be available for use in the offshore wind industry. The assessments consist of two primary components: (1) an Existing Conditions Assessment, which compiles detailed information concerning the existing site conditions; and (2) an Engineering Assessment that evaluates potential redevelopment opportunities for each site, including:  identification of improvements that may be necessary or advantageous at each site, conceptual design scenarios for those potential improvements, estimated redevelopment costs, and permitting steps associated with design implementation.

  • Massachusetts Offshore Wind Ports and Infrastructure Assessment 2022: North Shore focuses on waterfront facilities from Revere, MA north to Salisbury. With an eye toward potential offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, this assessment provides a summary of the workings and general requirements for relatively small operations and maintenance facilities. Also included is a screening level assessment of port facilities 20 acres and larger that could have a potential reuse for marshalling, manufacturing or service/repair ports.A detailed Existing Conditions Assessment and Engineering Assessment are included for the primary candidate site that was identified through the screening level assessment.

  • Massachusetts Offshore Wind Ports and Infrastructure Assessment 2017: Boston Area and South Coast provides the offshore wind industry, and its associated supply chain, with important information on existing port infrastructure at 18 waterfront properties on the South Coast and Metro-Boston (Boston, Quincy, New Bedford, Fall River, and Somerset).

• Workforce – MassCEC develops and implements programs to ensure that Massachusetts workers have the skills, training, and certifications necessary to participate in the offshore wind industry. In 2018, MassCEC commissioned an Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment to provide a comprehensive analysis of the workforce needs and economic development impacts associated with the deployment of 1600 megawatts of offshore wind in Massachusetts. Informed by the 2018 workforce report findings, MassCEC awarded grant funds to six institutions and organizations in the Commonwealth supporting offshore wind workforce development in 2019. Since, MassCEC has awarded an additional nine workforce development awards in 2020, and eight workforce development grants in 2021, which specifically aim to increase access to opportunities for underrepresented groups in the offshore wind industry. In 2021, MassCEC released the Offshore Wind Workforce Training & Development in Massachusetts Report which builds upon the 2018 report and provides a more detailed understanding of the specific occupations required for all phases of an offshore wind project. MassCEC is also piloting an Offshore Wind Workforce Community of Practice, which aims to help the offshore wind workforce grantees and other interested partners and stakeholders network, share information and resources, coordinate and collectively develop training and educational pathways into and through the offshore wind industry.

• Transmission Planning – In 2014, MassCEC commissioned a report to analyze the transmission infrastructure necessary to interconnect future Massachusetts offshore wind projects to the regional electric grid. The report identified routes and interconnection locations where offshore wind energy can be connected to the ISO-NE grid.

• Research ­– MassCEC provides funding for academic and research institutions across Massachusetts to advance research and innovation in offshore wind development, technology and operations. Click here to read more about previous wind research awards.