That move came as two offshore wind developers announced they were swapping projects.
The agencies said they are trying to find ways to better protect the whales amid a surge of offshore wind farm projects, particularly on the
The strategy will use artificial intelligence and passive acoustic monitoring to determine where the whales are at a given time and to monitor the impacts of wind development on the animals.
It also calls for avoiding the granting of offshore wind leases in areas where major impacts to right whales may occur; establishing noise limits during construction; supporting research to develop new harm minimization technologies; and making it a priority to develop quieter technology and operating methods for offshore wind development.
They also want to conduct “robust sound field verification” of offshore wind operations to ensure that noise levels are not louder than expected.
The news came about an hour before the companies
The deal calls for
The companies said the swap will be a “cash neutral transaction," although
"We now take full ownership of a mature, large-scale offshore wind project in a key energy market, where we have built a strong local organization,” said
Although opponents of offshore wind projects blame them for a spate of whale deaths over the past 13 months on the
Of the 360 right whales left in the ocean, only 70 are reproductively active females.
“Climate change is affecting every aspect of right whales’ survival, changing their ocean habitat, their migratory patterns, the location and availability of their prey, and even their risk of becoming entangled in fishing gear or being struck by vessels,” the agencies said in a statement.
In a separate report issued Monday,
In addition to vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, which are the primary causes of death or injury to right whales, low female survival, a male-dominated sex ratio, and low calving rates are contributing to the population’s current decline. The species also has low genetic diversity due to its small size, the agencies said.
As of
All these projects are anticipated to use fixed foundation turbines, although future leasing plans farther offshore contemplate the use of floating technology, the agencies said.
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