Five companies propose to coordinate uniform spacing of turbines to meet concerns of fishermen and maritime users

Washington -- The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) applauded the efforts of five New England offshore wind development companies who this week announced their joint agreement to space wind turbines one nautical mile apart and lay them out in uniform rows and columns continuously across their adjacent lease areas off Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The companies' proposal to the Coast Guard comes in response to requests of multiple parties including the New England region's fishing industry and the concerns of other maritime users regarding navigational safety and search-and-rescue capability through the proposed wind farms.

"Today's agreement shows the commitment of the wind farm leaseholders to working together to find solutions that work for all ocean users," said Laura Smith Morton, AWEA Senior Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Offshore. "While there cannot be a one-size-fits all approach to wind projects in different geographies, we can work to find the best practices that will both develop clean energy and meet local concerns. Offshore wind developers are more than willing to work with each other - and with the Coast Guard, fishing industry, local communities, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and other stakeholders - to find workable solutions that allow for the billions of dollars in investment to develop clean energy to move forward."

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AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. We represent 1,000 member companies and over 114,000 jobs in the U.S. economy, serving as a powerful voice for how wind works for America. Members include global leaders in wind power and energy development, turbine manufacturing, and component and service suppliers. They gather each year at the Western Hemisphere's largest wind energy event, the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, next in Denver, June 1-4, 2020. WINDPOWER 2020 will be housed within CLEANPOWER, the new exhibition hub for utility-scale renewable energy, bringing together wind power, solar power, and energy storage industries. Find information about wind energy on the AWEA website. Gain insight into industry issues on AWEA's blog, Into the Wind. And please join us on Facebook and follow @AWEA on Twitter and LinkedIn