One week after awarding two wind leases off the Delmarva regions for nearly $93 million, federal officials announced they are starting the process for a second potential auction round on waters from New Jersey to North Carolina.
The Central Atlantic Call Area 2 spans 13.47 million acres, a broad region for potential wind energy areas, “to allow for flexibility to minimize conflicts with other uses, such as commercial fisheries, military activities, and vessel traffic,” according to the BOEM announcement.
“BOEM will collaborate with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to help identify where conflicts may exist and inform decisions regarding the most appropriate locations for WEAs.”
“Today’s announcement kicks off the process for a second potential auction in the Central Atlantic and provides an important avenue to solicit information as we identify potential areas that may be suitable for future offshore wind energy leasing,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.
The announcement builds on planning that led to the fifth offshore wind lease sale of the Biden administration on Aug. 14. That auction provisionally sold Lease OCS-A 0557 to Equinor Wind US LLC for $75,001,001, comprised of 101,443 acres about 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay.
Virginia Electric and Power Co. won Lease OCS-A 0558, paying $17,650,500 for 176,505 acres around 35 nm from the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.
To begin positioning for a future auction offering, BOEM will publish the “Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Central Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) – Central Atlantic 2 - Call for Information and Nominations” in the Federal Register on Aug. 22. That starts a 60-day public comment through Oct. 21.
The agency will host online and in-person public meetings in September and October. Information and registration is available at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic-2-public-meetings.
