ESS Client Cape Wind Receives Final Federal Approval
April 28, 2010 - Boston, Massachusetts - As principal consultant for the Cape Wind Renewable Energy Project, ESS Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has approved the nation's first offshore wind farm. ESS has provided Cape Wind with technical support with regard to all environmental baseline studies and impact assessments, permit applications, and related studies on record for the past nine years.
ESS Vice President Chris Rein stated, "Cape Wind's federal approval marks a critically important milestone that will enable the project to proceed toward construction."
Photo courtesy of Rachel Pacter, Cape Wind Associates
Charles Natale, ESS President and CEO, also expressed the company's excitement over Wednesday's approval. Mr. Natale commented, "ESS is proud to have played a critical role thus far and we are pleased that our scientific and engineering efforts have stood up to very rigorous technical scrutiny throughout the long regulatory process. ESS hopes that this recent decision will result in other development of offshore wind projects where we can apply our experience and expertise."
As the lead environmental consultant, ESS was responsible for managing and preparing federal NEPA and State Siting Board environmental documents in support of license applications, environmental approvals, and federal, state, and local permit applications for the project. As part of this effort, ESS conducted siting and routing studies for the wind farm, submarine cable, landfall alternatives, and upland transmission line. ESS also assembled the comprehensive technical baseline and impact studies for the environmental impact documents.
