Offshore wind project near Martha’s Vineyard approved

An offshore wind project off Massachusetts that would create 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes, was approved Tuesday by the federal government.

The Vineyard Wind project, south of Martha’s Vineyard near Cape Cod, would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. The $2-billion project is a critical piece of the Biden administration’s plan to grow renewable energy in the U.S.

Offshore wind development is still in its infancy in the U.S., which is home to two small projects off Rhode Island and Virginia. President Biden’s administration has pledged to pursue renewable energy development such as wind power.

Vineyard Wind Chief Executive Officer Lars Pedersen said before the project was approved that the company looked “forward to reaching the final step in the federal permitting process and being able to launch an industry that has such tremendous potential for economic development in communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard.”