The US has announced three milestones in its quest to develop 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.
The US has announced three milestones in its quest to develop 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.
The Department of the Interior will propose a lease sale for wind energy development in the Carolina Long Bay area offshore the Carolinas; initiate an environmental review of Mayflower Wind’s proposal for a commercial wind energy project offshore Massachusetts; and request information to further assess commercial interest in wind energy leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. The department is seeking public input on all three proposals.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its review of a construction and operations plan (COP) for the Vineyard Wind project earlier this year, has 10 more underway, and plans to complete another five or more reviews by 2025 (for a total of at least 16 COP reviews). In addition to preparing for a lease sale offshore the Carolinas, the administration is preparing for lease sales in the New York Bight and California next year and is working with states, tribes and stakeholders to explore wind potential offshore the Gulf of Maine, Oregon, Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico.
BOEM is requesting public input on a proposed lease sale in federal waters in the Carolina Long Bay area offshore the Carolinas. The proposed lease area consists of approx. 127,865 acres and includes the majority of the Wilmington East Wind Energy Area, which has the potential to unlock more than 1.5 GW of offshore wind energy and power more than 500,000 homes.
Prospective bidders must submit qualification materials by 3 January 2022.
Mayflower Wind has submitted a plan to construct and operate up to 147 wind turbines and up to 5 offshore power substations approx. 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and 23 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The proposed project has the potential to generate more than 2 GW of energy, enough to power 800,000 homes.
BOEM will publish a call for information and nominations to further assess commercial interest in, and invite public comment on, commercial wind energy leasing in a proposed area in the Gulf of Mexico. The area consists of almost 30 million acres just west of the Mississippi River to the Texas/Mexican border.
