MARTHA’S VINEYARD – – Vineyard Wind will be conducting the next in a series of undersea marine surveys starting this month. The company hopes they will help bring forth positive reviews in the ongoing permitting process, and perhaps speed it up.
Chief Development Officer Erich Stephens says it’s a big operation. “We’re going to be deploying five different vessels that will be doing a variety of different surveys and studies fourteen miles South of Martha’s Vineyard, as well as along the proposed cable route.”
Along with the proposed turbine area, video surveys, boring sampling and more, will be done along the routes under consideration for the cables that will bring the power to where it can be dispersed to costumers. These include Lewis Bay.
Stephens goes into a little more detail regarding the approach. “We’ll be looking at everything from water depth to the geology of the sea floor, as well as different habitat and sea life types. This will help us both finalize the design of the project and make sure we have complete data for the permitting process.”
The guidance and consultation of local, state, and federal regulators will be used throughout the surveying operation. These include the Yarmouth and Barnstable shellfish constables, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and several environmental groups.
The work is expected to last into summer.
Vessels using towed gear or boring equipment will be staffed by observers watching for marine mammals and other protected species, with operations ceased at times to protect certain marine animals.
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