The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has initiated an environmental review of Mayflower Wind’s proposal for a project off Massachusetts, requested more information to assess interest in wind energy leasing in the Gulf of Mexico, and will propose a lease sale off the Carolinas.
Mayflower Wind has submitted a plan to construct and operate up to 147 turbines totalling over 2GW and up to five offshore substations south of Martha’s Vineyard
BOEM will publish a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the Federal Register on 1 November, which will initiate a 30-day public comment period ending at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 1 December.
Three virtual public meetings will be held during this time and comments accepted to inform the preparation of the EIS.
The public comments will help BOEM determine the scope of the important resources and issues, impact-producing factors, reasonable alternatives and potential mitigating measures that should be analyzed in the EIS.
The meetings will be held on 10 and 18 November at 5pm, and 15 November at 1pm.
The review process is estimated to take about two years.
BOEM is also requesting public input on a proposed lease sale in federal waters in the Carolina Long Bay area offshore the Carolinas.
It will publish a Proposed Sale Notice in the Federal Register on 1 November, which will kick off a 60-day comment period ending on 3 January 2022.
The proposed lease area consists of approximately 127,865 acres and includes the majority of the Wilmington East Wind Energy Area, which has the potential to unlock more than 1.5GW of offshore wind, BOEM said.
The Bureau is soliciting feedback on a ‘multi-factor auction format’, which would include a monetary bid and bidding credits to determine the outcome of the auction.
BOEM is seeking comment on the use of bidding credits for contributions to workforce training or development of the US domestic supply chain for the offshore wind industry.
Comments received by the end of the public comment period will be made available to the public and considered before BOEM decides whether to publish a Final Sale Notice, which would announce the time and date of the lease sale.
Any prospective bidders wishing to participate in a Carolina Long Bay lease sale must submit qualification materials postmarked no later than 3 January.
BOEM will host an auction seminar to discuss the auction format for prospective bidders.
For the Gulf of Mexico, BOEM will publish on 1 November a Call for Information and Nominations to further assess commercial interest in, and invite public comment on, possible commercial wind energy leasing in a proposed area.
The Call will trigger a 45-day period for public comment and submissions indicating interest in commercial leasing, ending on 16 December.
The Call Area consists of almost 30 million acres just west of the Mississippi River to the Texas/Mexican border.
Before deciding whether and where leases may be issued, BOEM will consider the comments received from the call, conduct an environmental review and consult with appropriate Tribes, federal and state agencies to consider the environmental consequences associated with issuing commercial wind energy leases within the area.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said: “These milestones represent great potential for addressing climate change through a clean, reliable, domestic energy resource while providing good-paying jobs.
“We have an exciting road ahead, and Interior is up to the challenge. As we make progress toward deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, the Department will continue to ensure any development of clean energy resources is done responsibly and sustainably.”