The US government is planning to update “overly complex” regulations that are holding back deployment of offshore wind in the country.
The Department of the Interior said the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish a proposed rule to clarify ambiguous provisions in a move that will save developers around $1bn over a 20-year period.
Specific measures including eliminating unnecessary requirements for deployment of meteorological buoys, increasing survey flexibility, improving the project design and installation verification process and establishing a public Renewable Energy Leasing Schedule.
Other elements include reforming BOEM’s energy auctions, tailoring financial assurance instruments and clarifying safety management system regulations.
A notice of the proposed rulemaking will be published in the coming days and will be followed by a 60-day comment period.
The Department added that it plans to hold up to four additional offshore wind lease sales by 2025 and complete the review of at least 16 construction and operation plans for individual projects with a combined capacity of 22GW.