The Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Era

Unleashing the Central Atlantic’s Offshore Wind Energy Capacity?

Strong and steady winds blow through the Central Atlantic, and today the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) took a significant step in capitalizing upon the abundant wind energy there.??

On June 28, 2024, BOEM announced the Central Atlantic Final Sale Notice (FSN) , which set the date of the next lease sale for potential offshore wind development, which will take place on August 14, 2024.

Harnessing the offshore wind energy potential in the Central Atlantic, the United States can make great strides in solving the climate crisis, while at the same time creating good-paying jobs in the region. This lease sale represents another step forward in achieving the Administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.?

Using the Best Available Science to Identify the Lease Areas?

BOEM collaborated with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) in building a spatial planning model that considers the range of existing ocean uses and important natural and cultural marine resources to identify the best locations for offshore wind energy development. s for offshore wind energy development.??

BOEM initially analyzed six areas comprising 3.9 million acres on the Central Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In order to avoid conflicts with other important uses, such as commercial fishing, military activities, and protected marine species, the final lease areas were reduced from six areas to two areas that total approximately 278,000 acres. The areas being offered in this sale have the potential to power up to 2.2 million homes with clean energy.?

The process also included the completion of an environmental assessment (EA), which considered potential environmental impacts from site characterization activities, such as survey work, and site assessment activities, such as installing and operating meteorological buoys, associated with issuing offshore wind energy leases in the area.

BOEM’s EA found that there would not be any significant impacts from these activities.

Obtaining a lease does not provide a lessee the approval to construct an offshore wind energy project – rather, it provides a lessee the right to submit a project plan for approval. BOEM will conduct a comprehensive environmental review of any proposed project plan in consultation with Tribes and appropriate government agencies, and will seek input from ocean users, key stakeholders, and the public prior to making its decision on the proposed projects.?

Throughout BOEM’s planning process, BOEM has worked hard to ensure its process has been transparent and provided opportunities for public engagement. In addition, BOEM established the Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, which is a collaborative group of Tribal, Federal, state, and local government agencies that have focused on information sharing and coordination to help identify offshore areas most suitable for development.

More information about BOEM’s renewable energy task forces can be found in this fact sheet .??

Building a Domestic Supply Chain?

BOEM included innovative bidding credits and lease stipulations to deliver the maximum benefits from this lease sale. These lease provisions aid in the expansion of our clean energy economy, will provide a source of good-paying jobs in the Central Atlantic region, and help expand our nation’s nascent offshore wind energy supply chain.?

For this sale, the following bidding credits are available:?

• A 12.5% bidding credit to bidders who commit to supporting workforce training programs for the offshore wind industry, developing a domestic supply chain for the offshore wind industry or a combination of both.??
• A 12.5% bidding credit to bidders who establish and contribute to a fisheries compensatory mitigation fund or contribute to an existing fund to mitigate potential negative impacts from offshore wind development in the Central Atlantic to commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries.??

Lease stipulations include:?

• Prior to conducting survey activities, lessees must obtain the authorizations required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act prior to conducting survey activities.?
• Lessees must make every reasonable effort to enter into Project Labor Agreements with union laborers during the construction stage of any project in the lease areas.?

• Lessees must engage with parties that may be affected by its activities, including Tribes with cultural and/or historical ties to the lease areas, coastal communities, underserved communities, commercial and recreational fishing industries, educational and research institutions, environmental and public interest non-governmental organizations, mariners and the maritime industry, and other ocean users.?

For details on the lease sale and the Central Atlantic offshore wind energy activities:?

• BOEM Central Atlantic Activities webpage: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic ?
• BOEM Central Atlantic Lease Sale Press Release: https://www.boem.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-offshore-wind-lease-sale-central

?

?