The US Department of the Interior has announced three milestones to advance commercial offshore wind energy development. The Department is seeking public input on all three proposals.
The Department will propose a lease sale for wind energy development in the Carolina Long Bay area offshore the Carolinas. The proposed lease area consists of approximately 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
The Department will also initiate an environmental review of Mayflower Wind’s proposal for a commercial wind energy project offshore Massachusetts. Mayflower Wind submitted a plan to construct and operate up to 147 wind turbines and up to 5 offshore power substations approximately 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and 23 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The proposed project has the potential to generate over 2 GW of energy.
BOEM will also publish a Call for Information and Nominations (Call) to further assess commercial interest in, and invite public comment on, possible commercial wind energy leasing in a proposed area in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The Call Area consists of almost 30 million acres just west of the Mississippi River to the Texas/Mexican border.
