BOEM Seeks Studies for Potential Offshore Wind Dev't in US Territories

The United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has called for proposals for environmental and socioeconomic research that would inform federal decisions on potential offshore wind energy projects in United States territories.

Last April 24 Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a new five-year offshore wind leasing plan for the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific and U.S. territories. Four awards are planned for 2024, one each for 2025 and 2026, two for 2027 and four for 2028. 

“Additional research focused on the U.S. territories will increase our understanding of these important areas, and the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on their residents and resources”, Rodney Cluck, chief of the BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program, said in a statement Tuesday.

Proposals should “identify cooperative research in the U.S. Territories that will instigate the sharing of information, the joint utilization of available expertise and the potential development of monitoring arrangements to support the offshore wind energy as practicable and statutorily appropriate”, as stated in the request for letters of interest. The BOEM, a sub-agency of the Department of the Interior (DOI), hopes to gather relevant data on wildlife species, cultural and historical sites and coastal and marine space use. The submission window closes August 23.

It also issued a request for information on which organizations in U.S. territories have the expertise to conduct such research. The response period also ends August 23.

“The bureau’s geographical responsibility increased substantially with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, which expanded the definition of the OCS [outer continental shelf] and directed BOEM to consult with governments of the U.S. territories on the suitability and feasibility of offshore wind energy development”, the BOEM said.

“BOEM is using funds provided to the Department of the Interior by the IRA for the baseline environmental and socioeconomic studies in support of understanding the potential impacts from offshore wind energy development in the U.S. territories”.

Also on Thursday the BOEM launched a public comment period for the draft environmental assessment for the Wind Energy Area (WEA) designation in the Gulf of Maine.

Last April 30 the Interior Department announced a proposed wind lease sale that would include eight potential areas within the WEA offshore Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. 

“The draft EA analyzes the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases offshore Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts”, the BOEM said. “The draft EA considers the potential environmental impacts associated with activities such as surveys and installation of meteorological buoys, but not installation of offshore turbines, which would be covered by a separate environmental review if a project proposal is submitted by a leaseholder”. 

The Gulf of Maine WEA covers about two million acres offering a potential 32 gigawatts (GW) of power. It sits 23–92 miles off the coast of the three states.

The designation represents an 80 percent reduction from the area identified by the BOEM for possible leasing, after consultations with stakeholders, the BOEM said in a statement March 15 announcing the finalization of the WEA.

Under the Biden administration the DOI has approved the country’s first eight commercial-scale offshore wind projects and held four auctions for offshore wind leases. Government-approved offshore wind projects so far represent over 10 GW of generation, enough to power four million homes according to the BOEM.

On March 29, 2021, the Energy Department announced goals of 30 GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030 toward at least 110 GW by 2050. On September 22, 2022, the Biden administration announced a target of 15 GW for floating wind farms by 2035.

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