Environmental groups urge caution building giant sea-based power plants off the state of Massachusetts as endangered North Atlantic right whale now inhabiting nearby waters

Source: Recharge News | By Tim Ferry

US environmentalists are urging caution developing giant wind plants off the coast of the state of Massachusetts in light of the increasing presence in nearby waters of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

“We’re in a tricky situation in that these leases were issued a long time ago, and then the conditions have changed, and the whales are now in these areas,” Gib Brogan, fisheries campaign manager for environmental watchdog group Oceana, told Recharge.

“With the status of this species and the importance of that area, we need to be proceeding very cautiously.”

Offshore wind leases in the Massachusetts wind energy area (WEA) were originally sold in 2015, but since then this species of whale has taken up residence in neighbouring waters, drawn to the highly productive ecosystem as climate change-caused warming trends have degraded the species’ more southerly maritime habitats.

Protecting this species while accommodating offshore wind development has emerged as a key concern, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the lead regulator of energy development in federal waters, is partnering with the fisheries department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on a draft strategy to “protect and promote the recovery of North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy”.

“Working with NOAA on this draft strategy leverages the resources and expertise of both agencies to collect and apply the best available scientific information to inform our decisions,” said BOEM director Amanda Lefton.

Known as the “urban whale” due to its tendency to live near to urban population centers, fewer than 350 of the long-lived species are in existence. North Atlantic right whales have seen a 30% population decline since 2010, primarily caused by vessel collisions and entanglement with fishing gear.

Offshore wind construction in the Massachusetts WEA, which holds some 9GW of potential capacity, is set to spark a surge in vessel traffic. The 800MW Vineyard Wind 1, the US’ first offshore wind farm to begin construction, announced that 52 vessels have already been involved in its pre-installation work, with many more slated for foundation and turbine installation.

NOAA has lately rolled out restrictions on lobster fishing in local waters to protect the species, but fisheries advocates complain that protecting the species falls on them, while the offshore wind sector has received carte blanche in its development ambitions.

“It is somewhat difficult to comprehend that pile driving, noise-emitting steel turbines, enormous increases in vessel traffic, and introduction and movement of underwater materials in areas with the highest concentration of North Atlantic right whales would have substantially less impact on their overall survival than fishing rope,” fisheries advocate the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (Roda) said in its comments to BOEM.

While restrictions on lobster fishing pose “an existential threat to this historic industry”, Roda said the government’s approach to North Atlantic right whale protection for the offshore wind sector “has been largely voluntary and based on negotiated agreements”.

Both Vineyard Wind 1 and the US’ second project to begin construction, 132MW South Fork, have entered into comprehensive agreements with environmental groups for the protection of the species that include constant monitoring for the whale’s presence, particularly during pile driving and other noise creating construction, and vessel speed limits.

Brogan said that while Oceana supports the responsible development of offshore wind, “we’re going to be making sure that these conditions are met, that monitoring is happening, that the mitigation measures are being administered effectively, that we have enough people out there that are looking for whales,” said Brogan.

Even these measures might not suffice to the protect the species from offshore wind's impacts, however, with a recent study published indicating that the industry could profoundly affect marine ecosystems.

Based on data acquired in northern Europe, home to some 28GW of offshore wind turbines, the study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment concluded “via numerical modelling that the associated wind wakes in the North Sea provoke large-scale changes in annual primary production with local changes of up to ±10% not only at the offshore wind farm clusters, but also distributed over a wider region”.

“Our results provide evidence that the ongoing offshore wind farm developments can have a substantial impact on the structuring of coastal marine ecosystems.”

North Atlantic right whales feed primarily on zooplankton, eating up to 2,500kg daily, and research indicates that most individuals are already food-stressed, resulting in lower fertility and smaller sizes.

Less productive feeding grounds would force them to travel farther afield for nourishment, exacerbating their poor condition. “Anything that's going to mess with their food source is a significant concern,” said Brogan.

BOEM and NOAA closed comments yesterday (5 December) on the draft strategy for North Atlantic right whale protection.