Offshore Wind - SouthCoast Wind (formerly Mayflower Wind)

Project Description:

SouthCoast Wind (previously Mayflower Wind) is a private company that secured a lease from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to install wind turbines in federal waters 30 miles south of Martha's Vineyard.  SouthCoast Wind reports the lease area has the potential to generate over 2,400 megawatts of electricity which is enough to power over 1 million homes. This firm proposes to install two undersea electric cables. For the first phase, SouthCoast plans to interconnect a 1,200 megawatt cable to the regional electric grid at Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts. For the second 1,200-megawatt cable, SouthCoast indicates it is considering making landfall either in Somerset or in Falmouth. SouthCoast identified two potential locations to install a high voltage electric cable underneath Falmouth Heights Beach: Worcester Court and Central Park. The cable would be installed deep below the seabed using a method known as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) to tunnel beneath the beach. SouthCoast Wind represents that the only structures that will be visible near the beach when construction is complete is a manhole cover. The proposed underground electric cable would extend from Falmouth Heights Beach to a new substation which is proposed to be located at either the Lawrence Lynch site at 396 Gifford Street or the Cape Cod Aggregates site at 486 Thomas B Landers Road. 

Approval Process:

Local, state, regional and federal permits and approvals are required for onshore and offshore construction including:

  • Federal Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management 
  • Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act
  • Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) - for further information visit 
  • Falmouth Conservation Commission
  • Town Meeting Easements and Article 97 Relief
  • Select Board Grant of Locations

Can Mayflower Wind install the proposed electric cable and substation in Falmouth without Town approval?

Select Board Role:

UPDATED January 2025

Under the direction of the Select Board, the Town began a process to evaluate the SouthCoast Wind proposal to install the proposed underground electric cable and associated substation in Falmouth in 2020. To date, the Select Board has not taken a position to support or oppose the project. The Select Board directed Town staff members to work with legal counsel and a consulting engineer, selected by the Town, to evaluate the impact of the proposed project within Town borders. Town staff began a dialog with Mayflower Wind representatives to understand and evaluate the proposal including the proposed landfall locations and the substation locations among other issues. 

In June of 2022, the developer announced it would be making substantial changes to the electrical equipment proposed to be installed in Falmouth and that it was suspending the permit filed with the Energy Facilities Siting Board which included a potential landfall in Falmouth. As of this update, SouthCoast has not updated the plans filed with the Department of Public Utilities with respect to a potential landfall in Falmouth. The Town has not negotiated a host agreement with SouthCoast Wind and there have been no discussions of a potential agreement in over two years. 

SouthCoast Wind filed for permits from various state and federal agencies to connect 1,200 megawatts from the proposed offshore lease area to the electrical grid in Brayton Point in Somerset, MA. This permit represents the first of two planned phases and is referred to as ‘Project 1’ or ‘Southcoast Wind 1’. In October of 2024, the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board and two other state agencies approved these permits. The U.S. Bureau of Energy Management followed suit in December of 2024. 

On January 10th, SouthCoast Wind indicates that Brayton Point in Somerset, MA had been identified as its preferred landfall location for “Project 2” (i.e. phase 2) as well as “Project 1.” SouthCoast Wind considers Falmouth Heights Beach as an alternative for Project 2, if landfall at Brayton Point does not work out for some reason.

Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) Review:

  • UPDATE October 1, 2024: EFSB approves SouthCoast Wind Project 1 for up to 1,200 megawatts to make landfall at Brayton Point in Somerset, MA. https://fileservice.eea.comacloud.net/FileService.Api/file/FileRoom/19715907
  • UPDATE December 9, 2022:  Mayflower Wind has filed the following update on the status of its filing before the EFSB – Mayflower letter to EFSB 12/09/2022.
  • UPDATE July 29, 2022: Mayflower Wind has filed a motion to temporarily suspend its EFSB petition for landfall in Falmouth. This administrative motion is to reflect a change to HVDC transmission cables and to include analysis on alternate landfalls at the request of the Town administration. While a timeline to resume proceedings is not known at this time, Mayflower has communicated that they expect to resume the process in the coming months. 
  • To view documents filed with the EFSB by Mayflower Wind and the public, visit the Department of Public Utilities Docket website EFSB21-03.
  • The Massachusetts EFSB has a public information webpage with comprehensive information. This page can be found at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/mayflower-wind-1.

Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Review:

Reports and Information:

The Town of Falmouth selected and retained a consulting engineer to review and advise on certain technical aspects of the Mayflower Wind projects proposed within Falmouth. Below are the draft reports received by the Town regarding EMF, noise and visual impacts.

Select Board Public Forum - June 8, 2022:

A video of this public forum and the written comments received by the Select Board for this hearing can be viewed via the links below.