BOEM to Hold Central Atlantic Lease Sale Aug. 14
Two areas in the Central Atlantic that will be auctioned by the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) in an Aug. 14 offshore wind energy lease sale can be viewed on the Portal. The BOEM Central Atlantic Final Sale Notice of OCS-A 0557 (A-2) and OCS-A 0558 (C-1) 7/2024 map layer can be accessed in the Renewable Energy theme by clicking on the “Planning and Lease Areas” dropdown.
A Final Sale Notice (FSN) published in the Federal Register on July 1 includes one area off the coasts of Delaware and Maryland and one area off the coast of Virginia. Lease Area A-2 (seen in orange) consists of 101,443 acres and is approximately 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay. Lease Area C-1 (seen in red) consists of 176,505 acres and is approximately 35 nautical miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
The FSN contains information about the areas available for leasing, certain lease provisions and conditions, auction details, criteria for evaluating competing bids and procedures for lease award, appeals and lease execution. The first round of the auction, which will proceed electronically, will start at 9 a.m. EDT on Aug. 14. The auction is anticipated to last one or two business days, but may continue for additional business days, as necessary. For more information about the lease sale, visit BOEM’s Central Atlantic web page.
The Portal also houses three map layers showing the Central Atlantic wind areas in earlier planning stages for those who are interested in viewing them for comparison or analysis purposes. They are:
- BOEM Central Atlantic Call for Information and Nominations Area 5/2022
- BOEM Central Atlantic Draft Wind Energy Areas 11/2022
- BOEM Central Atlantic Final Wind Energy Areas 7/2023
The maps listed above are among the dozens of layers depicting project areas, proposed and installed infrastructure, and more in the Portal’s Renewable Energy theme. Data there is bundled in four collections, essentially arranged from the least (Planning and Lease Areas) to furthest along (Operational Offshore Energy Projects) in the development process. Portal users can also browse the Current Agency Actions & Public Comment Opportunities page for recent notices related to offshore wind planning in the Mid-Atlantic.
Questions? Email portal@midatlanticocean.org.
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