Abbegail Nack, PE receives Environmental Business Council of New England Ascending Leader Award

Abbegail “Abbey” Nack, PE is a Senior Engineer at Epsilon Associates. Over the last six years, Abbey has played an instrumental role in growing Epsilon’s offshore wind practice, contributing to the planning, permitting, and compliance support for ~11,000 MW of offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind 1, the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project. These projects are critical to advancing our clean energy future. Based these contributions and other professional and personal achievements, Abbey has received a 2023 Ascending Leader Award from the Environmental Business Council of New England.

The EBC New England Ascending Leader Award recognizes professionals in the energy and environmental sectors demonstrating exceptional leadership and industry involvement early in their careers.

After graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2017 with dual B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Professional Writing, Abbey joined Epsilon’s Air Quality group. In this role, she developed a methodology to calculate air emissions from the construction and operation of offshore wind projects. Abbey used this comprehensive emissions analysis to draft the EPA Outer Continental Shelf Air Permit application and the air quality elements of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the Vineyard Wind 1 project. Through this work, which involved close coordination with the developer’s EPC team, Abbey amassed a thorough understanding of the offshore wind construction process and developed a deep passion for helping bring commercial-scale offshore wind to fruition in the US.

Early in her career, Abbey moved into Epsilon’s Coastal and Marine Group as she became immersed in all aspects of permitting offshore wind projects. Abbey’s herculean efforts helped Vineyard Wind 1 obtain all required federal permits in May 2021, and Vineyard Wind 1 is now under construction. In six years, she has supported the development of five COPs (each several thousand pages) for projects located off the coasts of Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. Abbey is a key contributor to nearly every facet of these COPs, reflecting her ability to grasp a broad array of highly complex topics, intellectual versatility, attention to detail, and maturity despite her relatively young age. Abbey is highly respected by colleagues, clients, and regulators and she routinely leads project team, client, and agency meetings.

Abbey is a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts. She is a member of New England Women in Energy and the Environment and routinely represents Epsilon at major offshore wind conferences. She has also returned to her alma mater several times to judge student chemical engineering competitions. Outside of work, Abbey enjoys mountain biking, skiing, swimming, and hiking and supporting her local trail networks by volunteering to build and maintain trails.

Everyone at Epsilon Associates appreciates Abbegail Nack's efforts and dedication in support of her colleagues, our clients and partners, and the vital project work that Abbey contributes every day. Congratulations, Abbey!