DELMARVA. - The Bureau of Ocean Management announced three potential wind energy areas, on Monday, in Ocean City, the Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay.
If built, these three wind energy areas could produce four to eight gigawatts of energy production, according to the bureau and would be placed in Ocean city, the Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay.
“The first WEA (A-2) is 101,767 acres and located 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay,” said the Bureau,“The second WEA (B-1) is 78,285 acres and about 23.5 nm offshore Ocean City, Md. The third WEA (C-1) is 176,506 acres and located about 35 nm from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, offshore Virginia.”
The plan for the wind energy areas came after the Biden-Harris’s administration goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030. The bureau said the decision of the placement comes after extensive feedback from local tribes, residents and federal partners.
The bureau has published a notice of intent and as of August 1 entered a public comment period.
“BOEM will publish its Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental assessment of potential impacts from offshore wind leasing in the WEAs in the Federal Register on August 1, 2023, which will initiate a 30-day public comment period,” said the Bureau.
The bureau has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop an ocean planning model that has assisted with the decision of the placement of the wind energy areas.
“This model leveraged best available data on natural resources, ocean industries like fisheries and energy production, and areas of national security activities to identify areas with high wind energy resource potential while reducing potential impacts to other ocean users and sensitive environmental resources,” said the bureau.
