A Federal Consistency Determination has been submitted to the DNREC Delaware Coastal Management Program (DCMP) for the following: Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Lease Areas (2024.0012)

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing commercial leasing and granting rights-of-way/rights-of-use and easements within three wind energy areas (WEAs) for future wind energy development in the Central Atlantic offshore the States of Delaware, Maryland, and the Commonwealth of Virginia (“Lease Areas”). Lease Area A-2 is 101,769 acres and located approximately 26 nautical miles (nm) offshore Delaware. Lease Area B-1 is 78,283 acres and approximately 25 nm offshore Delaware, 19 nm offshore Maryland, and 19 nm offshore Virginia. Lease Area C-1 is 176,493 acres and located approximately 31 nm offshore Virginia. Issuance of commercial leases would result in site assessment activities on lease and site characterization activities within and around leases, and between leases and the shore. The commercial leases would not authorize any energy facility construction or operations activities on the OCS but would grant the lessee the exclusive rights to submit, for BOEM’s potential approval, a Site Assessment Plan (SAP) and Construction and Operations Plan (COP) proposing development of the leasehold for potential future construction and operation of floating offshore wind turbines, installation of inter-array and export cables, and associated wind energy-related facilities offshore Delaware. Permitting and consultation for future construction and operation of offshore wind energy facilities would be addressed through separate processes after the submittal of a SAP and COP and are not considered in this review. The proposed activity is subject to review for consistency under the policies of the DNREC DCMP.

Comments concerning this Federal Consistency Determination will be accepted through March 2, 2024. Comments may be sent to: Delaware Coastal Programs, Ms. Kimberly Cole, Administrator, 100 W. Water Street, Suite 7B, Dover, DE, 19904, or electronically to DNREC_DCP_PublicComment@delaware.gov. For additional information please visit de.gov/dnrecnotices or call (302) 739-9283.

Related Links

BOEM Central Atlantic Website

Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf of the Central Atlantic (BOEM)

Related Topics:  climate coastal energy, coastal programs, federal consistency, offshore wind, permitting and regulation, public notice, us wind, wind energy