U.S. offshore wind already facing aesthetic challenges with its transmission plans

If the U.S. is going to fulfill President Joe Biden's plan to add 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, the federal government, state government, power developers and local communities will need to work together. That meaningful relationship is already running into fiction in New England as the region develops its offshore wind plans. 

In Cape Cod, a wealthy enclave off the coast of Massachusetts, community members are already raising objections to powerlines that are planned to come through their area. According to a recent article from Commonwealth Magazine, the initial plans for wind farms off the coast of Martha's Vineyard look to send transmission lines through Cape Cod on their way to providing power to mainland New England. According to the developer, Vineyard Wind, bringing the electricity first to Cape Cod, which is near Martha's Vineyard, allows for a less expensive transmission line to be used and it helps decrease the project's ocean footprint. 

Slow it down and do it right seems to be the chorus from the local community groups, and we've certainly heard that one before. This type of opposition shouldn't come as a surprise. This same type of struggle is occurring within the continental U.S. as well, as community groups who don't want to see the powerlines invade their viewshed are working to block the projects. The federal government has made it easier for transmission developers to override local opposition, however, it will do transmission companies well to remain focused on keeping the community at the table during project discussions. The developers, in the end, may be able to overcome the local challenges, but they will always slow the project down, something the power system cannot afford.