The construction of the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States, the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, has been delayed due to the requirement of an additional environmental impact study, reports Dutch turbine foundation manufacturer Sif. 

“The installation of the monopiles is subject to a schedule that includes seasonal restrictions on pile driving activity as a protective measure for the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. The requirement of an additional Environmental Impact Study (EIS) by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is now delaying the project beyond the timeframe initially assumed by Vineyard Wind,” Sif states in a notice.

It added: “If and how this will have an impact is not yet clear as this depends on how Vineyard Wind decides to proceed. At this time, it is Vineyard Wind’s priority to get clarity on the impact for the total Vineyard Wind project. Vineyard Wind has indicated that they need some time to assess, which could take approximately four to six weeks.”

In early July, Sif announced it was contracted to manufacture 84 monopile foundations for the project, which the company scheduled for the first half of 2020.

The delay will also impact Heerema Marine Contractors, which has been selected to transport and install the 84 monopolies and transition pieces, as PCJ previously reported.