Offshore Wind Wire

By William Morgan

The Federal Aviation Administration announced yesterday that the proposed Cape Wind 130-turbine farm could move ahead after the developer agreed to pay for radar upgrades at nearby Otis Air Force Base.

In early 2009, FAA officials issued a “Presumed Hazard Determination” due to the potential for “physical or electromagnetic interference with an air navigational system,” according to the agency’s Inspector General’s report.

“If the FAA determines that the interference can be mitigated, the FAA would then conduct negotiations with the developer of the project in an attempt to agree on appropriate mitigation measures,” the FAA Inspector General reported in February, 2010.

Cape Wind and the FAA agreed that the developer will pay about $1.5 million to upgrade the radar system and the regulatory agency issued a “Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation.”.

“We are pleased the FAA has approved Cape Wind so that we can get to work on building America’s first offshore wind farm,” Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rogers said yesterday in a statement.  “Cape Wind will provide the FAA with the funds they need to modernize and enhance their radar facility at Otis Air Force Base.”

Cape Wind opponent Alliance to Save Nantucket Sound said the FAA made “an entirely political decision.”

“Today’s FAA decision confirms that the proposed turbines would interfere with radar, but relies on unproven theoretical mitigation to resolve this serious safety issue,” the Alliance said in a press release.