Announcements
- BOEM Finalizes Fisheries Mitigation Guidance
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalized guidance aimed at mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy projects on commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries. BOEM’s final guidance, informed by extensive public input, provides a national framework for addressing social and economic impacts on the fishing industry affected by offshore wind development. The guidance establishes clear processes for the offshore wind industry to address potential disruptions to fisheries and ensures consistency and promotes fair treatment of fishermen, regardless of their home or landing port. More information is available here. The full guidance document is available here.
- Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Vineyard Mid-Atlantic Project on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New York
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Managment (BOEM) announced its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) of Vineyard Mid-Atlantic’s proposed offshore wind energy project, located in the federal waters offshore New York and New Jersey. The Notice of Intent (NOI) initiates the public scoping and comment process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The Vineyard Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind project is in one of the six lease areas within the New York Bight Wind Energy Area, and as proposed would generate over 2,000 megawatts of electricity from up to 117 wind turbines. More information is available here. The NOI is available here.
- Upcoming Offshore Wind Webinar Hosted by The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is hosting a webinar, “Sharing the Social Value of Offshore Wind Through Community Benefits Agreements”, on 23 January 2025 at 12:00pm EST (5:00pm UTC). Speakers will discuss their experience supporting community benefit agreements across Europe and Japan, and a new report which reviews examples of how the U.S. federal government and states are incentivizing and incorporating community benefits agreements into their offshore wind development processes. More information and registration is available here.
- Upcoming U.S. Offshore Wind SEER Webinar
The U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) project is hosting a webinar, “Exploring the Potential Environmental Effects of Offshore Wind Energy in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico” on 23 January 2025 from 9:00-11:00am PST (5:00-7:00pm UTC). Speakers will discuss offshore wind siting/permitting in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, relevant technologies and infrastructure, potential environmental effects of offshore wind development in the region, monitoring and mitigation methodologies, and knowledge gaps and data needs. More information is available here. Register for the webinar here.
- Eleventh Offshore Wind Project in U.S. History Approved
The Biden-Harris administration announced the approval of the SouthCoast Wind Project – the nation’s 11th commercial-scale offshore wind energy project. The SouthCoast Wind Project is expected to generate up to 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, enough to power more than 840,000 homes. The project area covers approximately 127,388 acres and about 26 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nm south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. With this approval, the Department of the Interior has approved more than 19 GW off offshore wind energy. More information is available here.
- Largest U.S. Offshore Renewable Energy Conference to Showcase New Industry Innovations
Oceantic Network, in partnership with SeaAhead, has opened applications for the Startup Alley program at the 2025 International Partnering Forum (IPF), happening April 28 – May 1 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Startup Alley offers companies working in the offshore renewable energy sectors an opportunity to pitch their business innovations to industry leaders and stakeholders at the largest offshore renewables conference in the U.S. SeaAhead, an early-stage accelerator and investor that supports ocean-related technology companies through their commercialization journey and works with commercial and public sector partners to address the industry’s commercial needs, will select 10-12 startups to present to IPF attendees. Applications for Startup Alley will remain open through January 17, 2025. More information about the application process can be found here.
- BOEM Finalizes Tribal Engagement Strategy and Consultation Guidance
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced he publication of its Tribal Nation and Indigenous Peoples Engagement Strategy and its Tribal Consultation Guidance as part of the Bureau’s efforts to build and grow lasting relationships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples based on mutual trust and respect and meaningful engagement. The Engagement Strategy is intended to complement BOEM’s updated Tribal Consultation Guidance, which establishes BOEM procedures for consultation with Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Corporations. The guidance was first issued in 2014 and last revised in 2018. More information is available here.
- BOEM Approved Construction and Operations Plan for Maryland Offshore Wind Project
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced its approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. This is the final approval needed for the project from BOEM following the Department of the Interior’s September 2024 Record of Decision. The Maryland Offshore Wind Project is located approximately 8.7 nautical miles (nm) offshore Maryland and approximately 9 nm from Sussex County, Delaware. The Project will be able to generate over 2 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy for the Delmarva Peninsula. More information is available here.
- BOEM Identifies Environmental Measures for Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced its approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. This is the final approval needed for the project from BOEM following the Department of the Interior’s September 2024 Record of Decision. The Maryland Offshore Wind Project is located approximately 8.7 nautical miles (nm) offshore Maryland and approximately 9 nm from Sussex County, Delaware. The Project will be able to generate over 2 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy for the Delmarva Peninsula. More information is available here.
- ROSA Regional Request for Proposals
The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) is seeking proposals to advance understanding of regional and cumulative effects of offshore wind on fish and fisheries and support meaningful solutions to the challenges surrounding responsible ocean co-use through regional research and publicly-available data and data products. Through this RFP, ROSA is soliciting research totaling over $3.44 Million to address high priority, key regional research questions regarding the broader fisheries and offshore wind community. Research needs were considered and prioritized from those included in ROSA’s Fish and Fisheries OffshoRe Wind Research Database (FishFORWRD). Research topic areas include 1) Supporting Fisheries Access; 2) Understanding Potential Offshore Wind Impacts to Larval Fish; and 3) Fisheries Monitoring: Data Integration, Evaluation, & Analysis. Applicants should submit their concept papers to ROSA by December 20, 2024 by 5pm ET to [email protected]. ROSA will accept questions about the RFP until December 4, 2024 by 5pm ET. More information can be found on ROSA’s website here.
- BOEM Completes Environmental Review for Proposed Wind Energy Project Offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed SouthCoast Wind Project. If approved, this project could generate up to 2.4 GW of offshore wind energy, enough to power more than 800,000 homes. The SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC proposal includes up to 147 wind turbine generators, up to five offshore substation platforms located at a maximum of 149 positions, and up to eight offshore export cables potentially making landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, MA. The lease area covers approximately 127,388 acres and is about 26 nautical miles (nm) south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nm south of Nantucket, MA. More information is available here.
- BOEM Announces POWERON Acoustic Monitoring Program for Offshore Wind Projects
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the establishment of the Partnership for an Offshore Wind Energy Regional Observation Network (POWERON), an innovative public-private partnership between BOEM and offshore wind lessees designed to maximize the quality and consistency of scientific data collected in lease areas while conserving and optimizing resources. BOEM requires offshore wind lessees to conduct long-term passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) on their lease areas to measure sound levels and monitor for the presence of vocalizing marine species like whales and dolphins. With this new program, lessees can make annual contributions to POWERON to have their long-term PAM requirements fulfilled by an approved third party. More information is available here.
- BOEM and DOD Sign Agreement to Bolster Interagency Collaboration on Offshore Wind Development
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Defense (DOD) to support the coordinated development of wind energy generation on the Nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The MOU will help further institutionalize the deep collaboration between BOEM and DOD that is ensuring that offshore wind lease areas and project plans strengthen the nation’s energy security in ways that are compatible with military operations. More information is available here.
- First Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Gulf of Maine
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its sixth offshore wind lease sale by offering areas in the Gulf of Maine – the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast. The auction resulted in two provisional winners on four lease areas and over $21.9 million in winning bids. Through the sale, Avangrid Renewables, LLC won Lease OCS-564 at $4,928,250, which consists of 98,565 acres and Lease OCS-568 at $6,244,850, which consists of 124,897 acres. Both lease areas are approximately 29.5 nautical miles (nm) from Massachusetts. Invenergy NE Offshore Wind, LLC won Lease OCS-562 at $4,892,700, which consists of 97,854 acres and is approximately 46.2 nm from Maine and Lease OCS-567 at $5,889,000 which consists of 117,780 acres is approximately 21.6 nautical nm from Massachusetts. Together, the leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes with clean energy. More information is available here.
- Notice of Intent: $3.4M for Regional Fisheries Offshore Wind Research through ROSA’s Regional Research Program
Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) has announced a Notice of Intent to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to launch its Regional Research Program, which aims to advance the methods and understanding of regional and cumulative effects of offshore wind on fish and fisheries and support meaning solutions to the challenges surrounding responsible ocean co-use. The upcoming RFP will be available to offshore wind fisheries research on the U.S. East Coast. More information is available here.
- BOEM Publishes New York Bight Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PEIS)
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of its Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PEIS) for potential development of six wind lease areas in the New York Bight. Together, the six leases total over 488,000 acres offshore New York and New Jersey. More information is available here.
- NOAA Fisheries Science Plan for Offshore Wind Available
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) has developed a strategic science plan to address the effects of offshore wind development along the U.S. West Coast. The plan demonstrates ongoing efforts to understand the impact of offshore wind on fisheries and marine ecosystems and identifies research priorities and opportunities to advance understanding of offshore wind’s impact on fisheries. More information is available here. The plan can be found here.
- BOEM 2023 Environmental Studies Year in Review Report Available
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its Environmental Studies Program (ESP) Year in Review Report. The ESP Year in Review summarizes the environmental studies BOEM published from October 2022 through December 2023 and provides concise descriptions of each study’s purpose and findings, and how BOEM will use the research results. The Year in Review also provides insight into BOEM’s study process, the types of research BOEM conducts, and how the bureau and other organizations use this scientific information. The report can be found here.
- Vineyard Wind Salvaging Broken Blade from Sea Floor
An offshore service vessel is working to recover sea floor debris from the broken turbine blade on Vineyard Wind’s AW38 turbine off southern New England, continuing a cleanup from the July 13 failure. The HOS Mystique, a 250-foot multipurpose supply vessel, is using a crane and remotely operated vehicle to recover pieces of the fractured GE Vernova blade from the sea floor around Vineyard Wind’s AW38 turbine. Recovery operations began on October 13, 2024 and is expected to continue for approximately two weeks. More information can be found here.
- WREN Releases New Wind Energy Monitoring and Mitigation Technologies Tool
As part of its mission to support the global deployment of wind energy through a better understanding of environmental issues, the Wind Energy-Environment Research & Engagement Network (WREN), also known as Task 59 (formerly Task 34), has created a free online tool to catalog monitoring and mitigating technologies developed to assess and reduce potential wildlife impacts resulting from land-based and offshore wind energy development. The tool will be continuously maintained and updated to ensure the international community has access to current, publicly available information on monitoring and mitigation solutions, their state of development, and related research on their effectiveness. More information is available here.
- BOEM Approves Construction and Operations Plan for Atlantic Shores South Offshore Wind Projects
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the approval of the Atlantic Shores South project plan to construct and operate two wind energy facilities, furthering the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. This is the final approval needed from BOEM following the Department of the Interior’s July 2024 Record of Decision (ROD). Following the ROD, the original lease was divided into two separate leases, both approximately 8.7 miles offshore New Jersey at their closest points. The approved construction and operations plan includes up to 197 total locations for wind turbine generators, offshore substations, and a meteorological tower, with subsea transmission cables potentially making landfall in Atlantic City and Sea Girt, providing clean electricity to the New Jersey grid. More information is available here.
- New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal Opens for Offshore Wind Vessels
The New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal has opened its first deepwater berth in Massachusetts after two years of demolition and construction to support the wind energy sector. The berth is part of Phase 2 of the project and was designed specifically to accommodate offshore wind service vessels. A 300-ft bulkhead has been installed and dredging has occurred to further improve the use of the berth for both domestic and international vessels. More information is available here.
- BOEM Announces Final Sale Notice for the First Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Gulf of Maine
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for offshore wind leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the U.S. Gulf of Maine. The FSN set the auction for October 29, 2024, which includes eight leases on the OCS off Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. If fully developed, these areas have a potential capacity of approximately 13 gigawatts of clean offshore wind energy, which could power more than 4.5 million homes. More information is available here. The FSN is available here.
- Massachusetts and Rhode Island Announce Largest Offshore Wind Selection in New England History
Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced the selection of 2,878 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind in the first coordinated procurement of its kind. As a part of the procurement, Massachusetts selected 2,678 MW in total from three projects including 1,087 MW of the 1,287 MW SouthCoast Wind multistate project, 791 MW of the 791 MW New England Wind 1 project, and up to 800 MW of the 1,200 MW Vineyard Wind 2 project. This selection is New England’s and Massachusetts’ largest offshore wind selection to date, representing nearly 20 percent of Massachusetts overall electric demand. More information is available here.
- BOEM Finalizes Environmental Review of Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Commercial Leasing
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of its final Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Wind Energy Area (WEA) located in the U.S. Gulf of Maine. The final EA evaluated the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. It considered the potential environmental impacts associated with activities such as conducting surveys and installing meteorological buoys, but not the installation of offshore turbines, which would be assessed in a separate environmental review if a leaseholder submits a project proposal. BOEM found that leasing and site assessment and characterization activities will not have a significant impact on the environment. More information is available here.
- Sea Services Develops Partnership with Offshore Wind
Sea Services North America, a co-op of fishermen, is serving as the bridge between offshore wind developers and commercial fishermen. Sea Services’ mission is to improve safety on the open water and create opportunities for local watermen to earn extra income by providing guard, scouting, and environmental compliance services to the growing clean energy industry. Over the past three years, Sea Services has successfully trained over 80 independent and active fishermen who are now supporting offshore wind projects. To date, fishermen in the seven states where Sea Services operates have received over $10 million in income for their work. More information is available here.
- BOEM Begins Process for Second Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Sale
BOEM announced it will publish a Call for Information and Nominations (Call) for a second regional offshore wind energy sale in the Central Atlantic (Central Atlantic 2) and invites public feedback on possible commercial wind energy development in areas off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. BOEM will accept nominations and comments through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 21, 2024. BOEM will also host several virtual and in-person public meetings in September and October, including a virtual Task Force meeting via Zoom on September 10-11, 2024. More information can be found here. Registration for the public meetings can be found here.
- Interior Department Issues Offshore Wind Research Lease to State of Maine
BOEM announced the execution of the nation’s first floating offshore wind energy research lease. The lease area covers less than 15,000 acres located 28 nautical miles offshore Maine on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and could allow for the deployment of up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144 MW. BOEM engaged with the State of Maine Governor’s Energy Office throughout the application review and lease development process to develop a lease that yields high-quality research on offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. On May 24, 2024, BOEM offered a research lease to the State of Maine after completing a Final Environmental Assessment and associated finding of no significant impacts. More information can be found here.
- Work began on the $300 million Salem Offshore Wind Terminal in Massachusetts
Construction began on the $300 million Salem Offshore Wind Terminal in Massachusetts. The project involves converting a former oil and coal-fired power plant into Massachusetts’ second wind port, supporting construction of offshore wind farms nearby and future floating turbines in the Gul. The terminal will become the region’s largest offshore wind port. More information is available here.
- Biden-Harris Administration’s Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Lease Sale Yields Nearly $93 Million
The Department of the Interior announced two provisional winners and $92.65 million in winning bids in BOEM’s wind energy auction for two lease areas offshore the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Equinor Wind US LLC provisionally won Lease OCS-A 0557 at $75,001,001, which consists of 101,443 acres and is approximately 26 nautical miles (nm) from Delaware Bay. Virginia Electric and Power Co provisionally won Lease OCS-A 0558 at $17,650,500, which consists of 176,505 acres and is approximately 35 nm from the entrance of Chesapeake Bay. Six companies participated in the auction. More information can be found here.
June 24, 2022
On June 24, 2022, BOEM published a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Ocean Wind 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Ocean Wind, LLC’s Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore New Jersey. The NOA initiates a 45-day public comment period that ends August 8th, 2022 at 11:59 pm. For more information regarding the virtual public hearing and the dates it will be held, refer here.
Reducing or Avoiding Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy on Fisheries
June 24, 2022
In July, BOEM will hold four public meetings in consultation with NFMS and affected coastal states to discuss draft guidance for ways to mitigate impacts from offshore wind projects on commercial and recreational fisheries and fishing. Dates and meeting information can be found here.
June 23, 2022
BOEM has standardized its process for identifying alternatives in its draft Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for all Offshore Wind Construction and Operations Plans (COPs) received from lessees. More information on BOEM’s standardization process for the finalized document can be found here. The finalized document can be found on BOEM’s website here.