US gives key approval for Gulf of Maine’s 15GW floating offshore wind area
US gives key approval for Gulf of Maine’s 15GW floating offshore wind area | Windpower Monthly
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalised its environmental assessment of an area in the Gulf of Maine that could support 15GW of floating offshore wind capacity.
BOEM found that leasing and site assessment and characterisation activities will not have a significant impact on the environment off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
A separate review will look at the installation of offshore turbines, if a leaseholder submits a project proposal.
"BOEM is actively assessing proposed offshore wind activities in the Gulf of Maine by collaborating with Tribes, state and federal agencies, ocean users, local communities, and other stakeholders," said BOEM director Elizabeth Klein.
In April, the US Department of the Interior proposed holding an offshore wind seabed lease auction in the gulf. BOEM anticipates holding the lease sale this autumn, a spokesperson said.
The Gulf of Maine’s deep waters mean that any wind farms there would have to use floating platforms.
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.