Today (March 31), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed air quality permit to Revolution Wind, LLC. The permit includes air pollution control requirements for the construction and operation of a windfarm of up to 880 megawatts (MW). EPA will accept public comments on the proposed permit for 30 days, until May 1, 2023.
The permit would regulate pollutants from "Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sources," such as jack-up barges that will construct each wind turbine and the electrical service platforms. Additionally, emissions associated with air-emitting devices used during the operation of the windfarm, i.e., generators used as a source of back-up electricity for space conditioning where sensitive electronics are housed, are also regulated.
"The Biden Administration has called on the nation to deploy 30 Gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 as part of building a clean energy economy. EPA New England is proud to play a role helping to accomplish this goal while also ensuring that construction activity complies with health-protective standards," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "Issuing a Clean Air Act permit for emissions associated with construction activity ensures that the vessels working to construct the wind farm operate with the best available technology to reduce emissions of air pollution during the construction and ongoing operation of the wind farm."
If issued as proposed, the permit would allow construction to begin on the offshore "wind development area" (WDA) located in federal waters in the northern portion of OCS Lease Area 0486, approximately 7.5 nautical miles south of Nomans Land Island, Massachusetts. The WDA facility will consist of up to 100 offshore wind turbine generators and their foundations, two Offshore Substations, and inter-array cables. The proposed WDA facility permit includes requirements for the prevention of significant deterioration and nonattainment new source review permit programs. When built, the 880-megawatt Revolution Wind energy project will contribute to the Biden-Harris administration's goal of generating 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030.
EPA will accept public comments for the proposed action until May 1, 2023. Any interested person may submit written comments on the proposed OCS air permit during the public comment period. The EPA will consider all submitted comments in its final decision-making process.
More information
Electronic copies of the proposed permit, fact sheet, all supporting materials, and instructions about how to submit comments, are available for review on EPA's website at: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/caa-permitting-epas-new-england-region. Comments may also be submitted electronically through https://www.regulations.gov (Docket ID #EPA-R01-OAR-2023-0060).
Clean Air Act Permitting by EPA: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting
