America Bureau of Ocean Power Administration (BOEM) on Thursday issued a name for data to assist it determine areas for provide in a possible second offshore wind public sale for the Central Atlantic.
It plans to supply a complete of practically 13.5 million acres for lease off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, which might imply an growth each when it comes to the world coated and the variety of states concerned in comparison with the latest inaugural sale for the area.
“At this time’s announcement kicks off the method for a second potential public sale within the Central Atlantic and offers an vital avenue to solicit data as we determine potential areas which may be appropriate for future offshore wind power leasing”, BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein mentioned in a press launch by the bureau.
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The Inside Division sub-agency expects to obtain industrial nominations and public feedback throughout the 60-day suggestions interval. “BOEM may even think about data from Tribal consultations and the Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Power Job Power to additional consider the appropriateness of the Name Space for offshore wind power growth and determine draft wind power areas (WEAs)”, it mentioned.
The BOEM will then conduct environmental critiques of the WEAs in session with stakeholders together with tribes, native governments and federal companies, after which it could suggest a aggressive public sale for the WEAs.
It mentioned it put up a big name space “to permit for flexibility to reduce conflicts with different makes use of, comparable to industrial fisheries, army actions, and vessel site visitors”.
Earlier this month Equinor ASA and Dominion Power Inc. had been provisionally awarded two wind power leases spanning a mixed 277,948 acres offshore Delaware, Maryland and Virginia beneath the primary Central Atlantic leasing.
The 101,443-acre Lease OCS-A 0557, about 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay, went to Equinor subsidiary Equinor Wind US LLC, which gained with a $75 million bid. Dominion’s Virginia Electrical and Energy Co. gained the 176,505-acre Lease OCS-A 0558, round 35 nautical miles from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, after providing $17.7 million. Six firms competed within the public sale, the BOEM mentioned in a press release August 15.
The brand new leases are anticipated to unlock 6.3 gigawatts (GW) of era, sufficient to energy 2.2 million properties, in line with the BOEM’s announcement of the sale June 28, 2024.
The businesses want environmental clearance earlier than development can proceed.
The Biden administration has up to now accomplished 5 offshore wind lease auctions, together with for areas in New Jersey, New York, the Carolinas and the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
On April 24, 2024, Inside Secretary Deb Haaland introduced a brand new five-year offshore wind leasing plan for the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific and U.S. territories. 4 awards are deliberate for 2024, one every for 2025 and 2026, two for 2027 and 4 for 2028.
The U.S. goals to succeed in 30 GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030, towards a minimum of 110 GW by 2050, as introduced by the Power Division March 29, 2021.
“In the beginning of the Administration, our nation had accepted zero offshore wind power tasks”, Haaland mentioned in regards to the new awards. “At this time, now we have 9 – sufficient to energy practically 5 million properties. That is what growing a clear power transition appears to be like like”. The Inside Division’s accepted offshore wind tasks have a mixed capability of 13 GW.
To contact the writer, electronic mail jov.onsat@rigzone.com
