As part of President Obama’s comprehensive
Climate
Action Plan to create
American jobs, develop domestic clean energy resources and cut carbon pollution,
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank
today announced that more than 742,000 acres offshore Massachusetts will
be offered for commercial wind energy development in a January 29, 2015,
competitive lease sale.
“Thanks to the leadership of Governor
Patrick and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the hard work of BOEM
staff members, this will be our largest competitive lease sale to date
for offshore wind energy development,” said Jewell. “This sale
will triple the amount of federal offshore acreage available for commercial-scale
wind energy projects, bringing Massachusetts to the forefront of our nation’s
new energy frontier.”
According to an analysis prepared by
the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
if fully developed, the area being offered could support between 4 and
5 gigawatts of commercial wind generation, enough electricity to power
over 1.4 million homes. Twelve companies have qualified to participate
in the auction for the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area.
Today’s announcement builds on Interior’s
work to stand up a sustainable offshore wind program through BOEM’s renewable
energy program. To date, BOEM has awarded seven commercial wind energy
leases off the Atlantic coast: two non-competitive leases (Cape Wind in
Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts and an area off Delaware) and five competitive
leases (two offshore Massachusetts-Rhode Island, two offshore Maryland
and another offshore Virginia). Competitive lease sales have generated
more than $14 million in high bids for more than 357,500 acres in federal
waters. BOEM is expected to hold another competitive offshore wind auction
offshore New Jersey in 2015.
“Over the past five years, the Commonwealth
has worked with its federal, state, tribal, industry and community partners
to put the infrastructure and planning pieces in place to make Massachusetts
the launch pad for the U.S. offshore wind industry,” said Governor
Patrick. “This offshore wind energy area not only has the capacity
to generate enough electricity to power half the homes in Massachusetts,
but it will create local jobs and a renewable and home-grown source of
power.”
“We
are pleased to once again see strong commercial interest in offshore wind
development, especially given the number and size of lease areas offshore
Massachusetts available for potential development,” said BOEM Acting Director
Cruickshank. “We will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth and
the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Task Force members to keep the public
informed on any future wind energy projects proposed by the winners of
this auction.”
The Massachusetts Wind Energy Area starts
about 12 nautical miles offshore Massachusetts; from its northern boundary,
the area extends 33 nautical miles southward and has an east/west extent
of approximately 47 nautical miles. To see a map of the Massachusetts Wind
Energy Area, click HERE.
Under the terms of the Final Sale Notice,
which will be published in the Federal Register on November 26, 2014, the
Massachusetts Wind Energy Area will be auctioned as four leases: Lease
OCS-A 0500 (187,523 acres), Lease OCS-A 0501 (166,886 acres), Lease OCS-A
0502 (248,015 acres), and Lease OCS-A 0503 (140,554 acres).
The area available for auction is identical
to the one announced in the Proposed
Sale Notice that BOEM published
in the Federal Register in June of this year, which was followed by a 60-day
public comment period.
BOEM has determined that the following
twelve companies are legally, technically and financially qualified to
participate in the upcoming lease sale:
- Deepwater Wind New England, LLC
- EDF Renewable Development, Inc.
- Energy Management, Inc.
- Fishermen’s Energy, LLC
- Green Sail Energy, LLC
- IBERDROLA RENEWABLES, Inc.
- NRG Bluewater Wind Massachusetts, LLC
- OffshoreMW, LLC
- RES America Developments, Inc.
- Sea Breeze Energy, LLC
- US Mainstream Renewable Power (Offshore),
Inc.
- U.S. Wind, Inc.
Under
procedures outlined in the Final Sale Notice, BOEM will consider monetary
and nonmonetary factors in determining the winner. The Final Sale Notice
contains specific information about these and other deadlines and milestones
for bidders, the area available for leasing, lease provisions and conditions,
auction details, criteria for evaluating bids, award procedures, lease
execution and other information.
For more information on the Massachusetts
Wind Energy Area and upcoming auction, visit BOEM’s website by clicking
HERE.