Wind Resources
This website will be updated when new information is available.On this webpage, text from and links to external public internet sites or documents are made available for your convenience. External information is neither provided nor maintained by the Town of Barnstable.
The Cables
Construction in Barnstable includes two offshore transmission cables buried beneath the seafloor, buried beneath Covell’s Beach in Centerville, buried beneath public roadways, and connecting to the electricity grid in Independence Park adjacent to existing substation infrastructure.
Covell’s Beach landing point to Substation Site path.
Covell’s Beach photo of cable landing points. (Source: Patrick Johnson, Avangrid)
Vaults outwared as-built plans. (Source: Installer of duct bank to DPW for use in sewer and other utility road work planning)
Magnetic Frequency Information
After completing the baseline magnetic frequency measurements when the wind farm was off-line on May 24, 2024, Avangrid took magnetic frequency readings on June 14, 2024. Chris Long from the company Gradient, did the testing for Avangrid.
Officials from the Town, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities were there to observe the process.
According to Avangrid, three wind turbines were spinning offshore producing close to 35 Megawatts of electricity during the test period.
Magnetic Field Readings
May 23, 2024: Baseline readings were taken at various points on the beach and in the parking lot. This testing was done while all Vineyard Wind 1 electrical infrastructure was turned off. Results found very little existing magnetic fields at the beach at any of the locations that is natural or unassociated with the Vineyard Wind 1 infrastructure. Most readings were between 0-1 milligauss (mG), while the highest readings in the parking lot were approximately 2 mG.
June 14, 2024: Readings were taken while three turbines were in operation, producing approximately 35 megawatts of electricity. The results are available below. Representatives from the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health were present during this testing.
Summary of magnetic field measurement results at Covell's Beach: June 14, 2024
Notes: mG=milligauss. NA= not applicable because no measurements made.
(1) There are two mean and maximum results that correspond to the two measurement events for each transect.
Future plans for testing include repeating this monitoring as they reach 25% installation, 50% installation, 75% installation, and full installation of the Vineyard Wind project. If there are indications that the testing needs to be more frequent based on actual measurements, we will discuss a different plan with Avangrid. Avangrid plans to have 50% of the wind turbines up in early fall and full installation in early 2025.
As noted previously, the Town of Barnstable has retained a third-party independent verification company (Elexana of New York) to verify readings and data if and when needed. https://www.elexana.com/
Elexana Business Solutions
New York City’s EMF/EMI Testing & Consulting Service
139 West 74th Street #4A
New York, New York 10023
Host Community Agreement with Vineyard Wind, LLC.
Vineyard Wind Construction and Operations Plan Approval Letter
MEPA FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT(feir)
MEPA SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (sdeir)
MEPA CONNECTOR CERTIFICATE
WHERE CAN I REPORT A CONCERN?
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
Please find a list of external resources from valuable sources:
Electromagnetic Fields and Electromagnetic Fields from Offshore Wind Facilities Marine Life (boem.gov): https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/state-activities/BOEM Electromagnetic-Fields-Offshore-Wind-Facilities_0.pdf
EMF Electric and Magnetic Fields Associated with the Use of Electric Power (nih.gov): https://www.niehs.nih.gov/sites/default/files/health/materials/electric_and_magnetic_fields_associated_with_the_use_of_electric_power_questions_and_answers_english_508.pdf
Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer NCI: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/electromagnetic-fields-fact-sheet
Electric and Magnetic Fields from Power Lines | US EPA: https://www.epa.gov/radtown/electric-and-magnetic-fields-power-lines
Electric & Magnetic Fields (nih.gov): https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/emf
Extremely Low Frequency Fields (who.int): https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43646/9789241572385_eng.pdf?sequence=1
Power Lines, Electrical Devices, and Extremely Low Frequency Radiation (cancer.org): https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/extremely-low-frequency- radiation.html
Electromagnetic Field Effects on Marine Life | Tethys (pnnl.gov): https://tethys.pnnl.gov/summaries/electromagnetic-field-effects-marine-life