Vineyard Wind awaiting approval from Army Corps to finish turbine shipments

Vineyard Wind’s permit to send ships through New Bedford’s hurricane barrier expires Dec. 31

The federal agency that manages the New Bedford hurricane barrier — and controls which vessels can go in and out — could throw a potentially costly and time-consuming wrench into Vineyard Wind’s ability to ship its final blades out of port. Vineyard Wind’s permit to send ships through the barrier expires Dec. 31, and the agency is still evaluating whether to extend it.

Several years ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued what’s called a Section 408 authorization to Vineyard Wind, allowing the project to send heavy lift boats and wide barges through the barrier’s 150-foot-wide opening — a delicate maneuver that could be catastrophic if it goes wrong. (To date, it hasn’t.) 

The original approval had an end date of Dec. 31, 2024, but the project hit significant turbine installation delays due to the July 2024 blade failure. Vineyard Wind filed for an extension from the Army Corps on Sept. 10, 2024, and received approval the following month, on Oct. 21, 2024. The new deadline: Dec. 31, 2025.

With that day a little more than two weeks away, and one tower and several blades left to install or ship out, it’s unlikely Vineyard Wind will meet the cutoff. Sources who spoke with The Light said they expected the final components to be installed by March. 

On Aug. 7 — four months ago — the company filed a second extension request with the Army Corps. It’s still pending.

“While Vineyard Wind’s goal is to reach Project completion in 2025, unexpected supply chain, weather, and other unforeseen delays may occur over the next five months that would preclude completion in 2025,” read the August letter from Vineyard Wind to the Army Corps. “The goal is to reach Project completion by the end of December 2025, however, given the unpredictability of issues that may arise, Vineyard Wind is requesting an extension.”

As of Monday, the Army Corps, which falls under the Department of Defense, has not made a decision to approve or deny it. 

“Vineyard Wind has requested an extension, which is currently under consideration. We are unable to speculate on future 408 decisions or their timing,” said Adam Stewart, a spokesperson for the Army Corps New England District office, in a Dec. 9 email to The Light. 

The processing time of the second extension request has run more than three times as long to date, or twice as long if the 43-day government shutdown is excluded. 

An Army Corps spokesperson would not provide further information, including on whether the agency plans to make a determination by Dec. 31. 

In its October 2024 extension approval letter, the Army Corps said it determined that the extension “will not impair the usefulness of the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier, and will not be injurious to the public interest.”

Further, the agency wrote, “If you find that you need more time to complete the authorized activity, submit your request for a time extension to this office for consideration at least one month before the above date is reached.”

Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova declined comment. 

Chris Matthews, a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, said by email that Keating’s office is in “regular contact” and working closely with Vineyard Wind, and that Keating is aware of the pending request before the Army Corps. 

Amid Trump’s war on wind, and a day-one wind memo that last week was struck down as illegal by a federal judge, all federal permitting for offshore wind projects has frozen, creating uncertainty over the fate of the Army Corps extension request.

Yet, unlike other offshore wind projects, Vineyard Wind has managed to escape attacks and roadblocks from the Trump administration. While its neighbors on the Outer Continental Shelf, Empire Wind and Revolution Wind, received orders to halt construction (since lifted and overturned, respectively), Vineyard Wind received none and quietly continued buildout. 

A possible difference between previously authorized transits through the hurricane barrier and the ones most likely to take place in 2026 is the types of components that will be shipped. Vineyard Wind will (weather permitting) likely ship out its final turbine tower and nacelle by the end of the month, leaving only blades to install next year.

About seven towers do not have blades as of Dec. 9, according to satellite images. Beyond that, some towers may still require blade removal and replacement. According to GIS-enthusiast Joel Stocker, who has been closely mapping the project’s progress, 10 blade sets either need removal or installation.

The barges have already passed through the barrier with different combinations of turbine components, including blades only. 

The skilled pilots driving the tugs and barges have made at least 100 successful transits through the barrier without incident. They abide by strict weather and visibility conditions. If the winds are too strong, they delay their departure. 

The barrier, built in 1966, protects about 1,400 acres of homes and businesses in New Bedford, Fairhaven, and Acushnet from coastal flooding. Its steel doors close on both water and land, like it did for Tropical Storm Henri in 2021. 

A source familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there’s been talk that if the request is not approved, Vineyard Wind may utilize a Rhode Island port to send out the remaining blades. 

That might require the disassembly of large cranes at the New Bedford terminal — and other pieces of the marshalling apparatus — which would take additional time. The 2,000-ton crane came to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal by many truckloads.

The project could also have another option: shipping blades to Canada and having one of the installation vessels, Wind Pace, pick them up there, which it has already been doing for the blade removal and replacement work. 

“There is so much uncertainty in the industry right now… it’s a whole new playing field,” the source said. “There’s no stability right now, there’s instability.”