DNREC to Hold Virtual Joint Public Hearing July 9 on Proposed Offshore Wind Project - State of Delaware News - news.delaware.gov
DNREC to Hold Virtual Joint Public Hearing July 9 on Proposed Offshore Wind Project - State of Delaware News
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will hold a joint virtual public hearing Tuesday, July 9 at 6 p.m. on multiple permit applications and authorization requests made to DNREC by wind energy developer US Wind, Inc. involving Delaware aspects of the company’s proposed Maryland offshore wind project. The proposed project comprises up to four offshore/onshore export cables, of which portions would be located under Delaware-regulated wetlands and subaqueous lands in the Atlantic Ocean within Delaware state waters and the Indian River Bay.
The offshore/onshore export cables for the US Wind Maryland project are proposed to land in Delaware at 3R’s Beach parking lot in Delaware Seashore State Park and to interconnect into a proposed substation to be constructed adjacent to the Indian River Power Plant in Sussex County, Delaware. The proposed cabling covers 15.2 miles.
The proposed project will require permits and authorizations from DNREC for the installation of cable ducts and offshore/onshore export cables using horizontal direction drilling, dredging and trenching, and for the construction of a transition vault.
US Wind requires the following authorizations from two of DNREC’s divisions as follows:
Subaqueous Lands Permit – Division of Water Water Quality Certification – Division of Water Wetlands Permit – Division of Water Beach Preservation Coastal Construction Permit – Division of Watershed Stewardship
For information on attending the joint virtual public hearing, and to register to make oral comment during the hearing, visit de.gov/dnrechearings. Closed captioning in over 20 languages, including English and Spanish, is available to attendees via the Zoom platform used for all DNREC public hearings. Anyone wishing to offer oral comments during DNREC Public Hearings must pre-register no later than noon of the date of the virtual hearing at de.gov/dnreccomments. The public comment period for the US Wind proposed offshore wind project will be open through Sept. 9, 2024. Comments will be accepted in written form via email to DNRECHearingComments@delaware.gov, using the online form at de.gov/dnreccomments, or by U.S. Mail to Ms. Lisa Vest, Public Hearing Officer, DNREC Office of the Secretary, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. Social media or text messaging platforms will not be accepted for submission to the record.
Copies of the US Wind permit applications to the two DNREC divisions, along with supporting documents, can be viewed online at de.gov/dnrecnotices. For additional details about the proposed project as involves Delaware, along with related documents, visit de.gov/uswind.
About DNREC The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Water manages and protects Delaware’s water resources. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will hold a joint virtual public hearing Tuesday, July 9 at 6 p.m. on multiple permit applications and authorization requests made to DNREC by wind energy developer US Wind, Inc. involving Delaware aspects of the company’s proposed Maryland offshore wind project. The proposed project comprises up to four offshore/onshore export cables, of which portions would be located under Delaware-regulated wetlands and subaqueous lands in the Atlantic Ocean within Delaware state waters and the Indian River Bay.
The offshore/onshore export cables for the US Wind Maryland project are proposed to land in Delaware at 3R’s Beach parking lot in Delaware Seashore State Park and to interconnect into a proposed substation to be constructed adjacent to the Indian River Power Plant in Sussex County, Delaware. The proposed cabling covers 15.2 miles.
The proposed project will require permits and authorizations from DNREC for the installation of cable ducts and offshore/onshore export cables using horizontal direction drilling, dredging and trenching, and for the construction of a transition vault.
US Wind requires the following authorizations from two of DNREC’s divisions as follows:
Subaqueous Lands Permit – Division of Water
Water Quality Certification – Division of Water
Wetlands Permit – Division of Water
Beach Preservation Coastal Construction Permit – Division of Watershed Stewardship
For information on attending the joint virtual public hearing, and to register to make oral comment during the hearing, visit de.gov/dnrechearings. Closed captioning in over 20 languages, including English and Spanish, is available to attendees via the Zoom platform used for all DNREC public hearings. Anyone wishing to offer oral comments during DNREC Public Hearings must pre-register no later than noon of the date of the virtual hearing at de.gov/dnreccomments. The public comment period for the US Wind proposed offshore wind project will be open through Sept. 9, 2024. Comments will be accepted in written form via email to DNRECHearingComments@delaware.gov, using the online form at de.gov/dnreccomments, or by U.S. Mail to Ms. Lisa Vest, Public Hearing Officer, DNREC Office of the Secretary, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. Social media or text messaging platforms will not be accepted for submission to the record.
Copies of the US Wind permit applications to the two DNREC divisions, along with supporting documents, can be viewed online at de.gov/dnrecnotices. For additional details about the proposed project as involves Delaware, along with related documents, visit de.gov/uswind.
About DNREC The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Water manages and protects Delaware’s water resources. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.