Many eyes are on offshore wind this week as Vineyard Wind is expected to receive final approval from the federal government anytime between now and mid-May.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is required to wait at least 30 days to issue the final decision after publishing a notice in the Federal Register; that waiting period ended April 11.
Meanwhile, the second company to win a Massachusetts contract for offshore wind, Mayflower Wind, is preparing for its own permitting process.
This week, the company is recording ambient noise at Falmouth Heights Beach and Surf Drive Beach, potential landing sites for electrical cable.
Spokesman Chris Hardy said the idea is to get a baseline against which to measure and reduce construction noise.
“The engineers will take that information and utilize it to determine what potential noise effects there might be during the construction period,” he said. “The big thing is that there will be no noise during operations because it's a submerged cable buried under the ground.”
Mayflower has also tested soil near the shoreline and has been conducting geophysical surveys by boat since 2019.
Hardy said Mayflower anticipates beginning the state and federal permitting process next year.