Biden-Harris Administration Announces Lease Sale for Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Farm

“We continue to see excitement and momentum on America’s shores as the Biden-Harris administration works toward a clean energy future,” he said. Secretary Deb Haaland“We are taking action to boost America’s offshore wind industry and leverage American innovation to deliver reliable, affordable energy to homes and businesses while addressing the climate crisis. As we do this, we are working with states, tribes and stakeholders to ensure we are making smart decisions and efficiently using our nation’s offshore resources.”

“We are pleased to announce this sale and underscore our commitment to exploring additional areas in the mid-Atlantic for potential offshore wind development,” he said. BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein“BOEM will continue to work with all ocean users to ensure offshore wind energy is developed in an environmentally responsible manner.”

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department has approved the first eight commercial offshore wind projects in federal waters. BOEM has completed four offshore wind lease transactions, including offshore New York, New Jersey and the Carolinas, as well as the first-ever offshore sale off the Pacific and Gulf Coasts. The Department recently announced a timeline for up to 12 additional lease transactions through 2028.

Final Sale Notice (FSN) to be published in Federal Register July 1 includes one area offshore the States of Delaware and Maryland and one area offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia. Lease Area A-2 includes 101,443 acres and is located approximately 26 nautical miles (nm) from Delaware Bay. Lease Area C-1 includes 176,505 acres and is located approximately 35 nm from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Seventeen companies qualified to participate in the August sale.

BOEM partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based ocean planning model that helped select the final lease areas. The FSN includes detailed information about the areas available for leasing, certain lease provisions and conditions, auction details, criteria for evaluating competitive bids, and procedures for lease awards, appeals, and lease implementation.

BOEM includes several provisions in leases and tender credits that would demonstrate its commitment to creating good-paying jobs and working with ocean users and other stakeholders. Some of these provisions, which are part of the FSN, include:

• A 12.5% ​​bid credit will be provided to bidders who commit to supporting offshore wind workforce training programmes, developing a domestic offshore wind supply chain, or both.
• Providing a 12.5% ​​bid credit to bidders that establish and contribute to a Fisheries Mitigation Compensation Fund or contribute to an existing fund to mitigate potential adverse impacts of offshore wind development in the central Atlantic on commercial and recreational fisheries.
• Provisions that leaseholders will make every effort to enter into a project work agreement covering the construction phase of each project on lease areas; communication plans for tribes, agencies, and fisheries; and semi-annual reports on tribal and community engagement activities.

BOEM will also continue to convene the Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to enhance collaboration and explore and identify potential additional areas for future offshore wind leasing. These ongoing intergovernmental efforts include the implementation of the December 2023 commitment and June 2024 memorandum of understanding that set out the Biden-Harris Administration and the State of Maryland to work together to assess additional areas off the Maryland coast that could become wind energy areas and support the development of offshore wind projects.