This article examines trends in cumulative purchased federal leases for offshore wind land areas with an emphasis on Atlantic coast activity.
BOEM has defined three Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore North Carolina. The Kitty Hawk WEA begins about 24 nautical miles (nm) from shore and extends approximately 25.7 nm in a general southeast direction at its widest point. Its seaward extent ranges from 13.5 nm in the north to .6 nm in the south. It contains approximately 21.5 OCS blocks (122,405 acres). The Wilmington West WEA begins about 10 nm from shore and extends approximately 12.3 nm in an east-west direction at its widest point. It contains just over 9 OCS blocks (approximately 51,595 acres). The Wilmington East WEA begins about 15 nm from Bald Head Island at its closest point and extends approximately 18 nm in the southeast direction at its widest point. It contains approximately 25 OCS blocks (133,590 acres).
Pursuant to 30 C.F.R. § 585.211(b), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed the Area Identification process to delineate a Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore New York. The New York WEA begins approximately 11 nautical miles south of Long Beach, New York, and extends approximately 26 nmi southeast along its longest portion. The entire area is approximately 127 square miles, 81,130 acres, or 32,832 hectares.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held the nation’s fifth competitive lease sale for renewable energy in federal waters, which offered nearly 344,000 acres offshore New Jersey for potential wind energy development.The provisional winners of the lease sale are RES America Developments Inc., which bid $880,715 for lease area OCS-A 0498 (160,480 acres), and US Wind Inc., which bid $1,006,240 for OCS-A 0499 (183,353 acres). Fishermen’s Energy LLC also participated in the lease sale. https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-auctions-344000-acres-offshore-new-jersey-wind-energy-development
