Cable route survey underway at Vineyard Wind site

Vineyard Wind has partnered with Woods Hole Group to carry out current and tidal monitoring at its planned 800 MW offshore wind project in Massachusetts.

The parties deployed the current measuring and turbidity monitoring devices along the project’s export cable corridor to gain insight and data that will influence the planning and engineering of the cable installation. 

Woods Hole Group supplied Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) and turbidity monitoring devices deployed within specially designed Trawl Resistant Bottom Mounts (TRBM) units. 

The instrumentation was placed at various points throughout Muskeget Channel and Nantucket Sound, known for extremely high tidal velocities. Eventual landfall for the export cables will occur at Covells Beach in Barnstable. 

The units will collect observations for up to 60-days or two complete lunar tidal cycles.

Upon completion of the measurement campaign, Woods Hole Group will download the captured data for processing and will provide it to Vineyard Wind to facilitate the planning of the marine works associated with the project. 

“We often talk about the positive direct impacts the offshore wind industry will have on the US economy, but it’s important to not overlook the benefits that will be derived by existing local companies who can expand their portfolio of work to accommodate this growing industry,” said Vineyard Wind’s CDO Rachel Pachter.

“We’re proud to partner with the Woods Hole Group on this important piece of data collection and look forward to working with many other maritime industry businesses for the foreseeable future.”

Vineyard Wind will comprise 84 MHI Vestas 9.5 MW turbines, installed some 22.5 kilometers south of Martha’s Vineyard and 56 kilometers off the coast of the Massachusetts mainland.

The 800 MW project is being developed by a joint venture company of Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).