Offshore Wind Energy Development News

New York State on Friday stalled three major offshore wind-energy projects after General Electric Vernova GE.N changed the turbine design, which the state said "materially altered" the plans.New York provisionally approved the projects in October 2023. They are Attentive Energy One being developed by TotalEnergies, Rise Light & Power and Corio Generation; Community Offshore Wind, which is backed by RWE and National Grid Ventures; and Vineyard Offshore's Excelsior Wind.But since then…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday finalized two wind energy areas (WEAs) in the offshore Oregon region, aligning with government goals to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power along U.S. coastlines this decade to fight climate change.The two WEAs, Coos Bay WEA and Brookings WEA, are spread across 195,012 acres (78,919 hectares) and "the department continues to take steps to evolve its approach to offshore wind to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain," said the agency, which is part of the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set out plans to invest $4.75 million to establish a new national center of excellence to accelerate offshore wind deployment across the United States.The Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst with approximately 40 partners, will focus on workforce development, targeted research, and partnerships and strategies to advance offshore wind development.As offshore…

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Thursday identified a Draft Wind Energy Area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine, opening a 30-day public review and comment period. The Draft WEA covers approximately 3,519,067 acres offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, ranging from approximately 23 - 120 miles off the coast. “BOEM will continue to prioritize a robust and transparent planning process, including engagement with Tribal governments, federal and state agencies, the fishing community and other ocean users,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.

The EnerGeo Alliance has sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy and Assemblyman Christopher Tully, Chairman of the state’s Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology in advance of the Assembly’s hearing on marine mammal deaths scheduled for Thursday May 18, 2023.There have been at least 11 whales that have washed up dead along New Jersey's coastline since December 5, prompting concern that they are related to offshore wind development in the region.The Alliance…

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday invited public comment on possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.BOEM said the call represented an early step in the commercial planning and leasing process in the Gulf fo Maine, and the first required by BOEM regulations.“BOEM is committed to transparent, inclusive and data-driven processes, and public input is essential to helping us determine areas that may be suitable for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.

Baltimore-based offshore wind energy development company US Wind, Inc. announced its plan to form a long-term partnership with Haizea Wind Group Management S.L. to manage and operate Sparrows Point Steel, Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind factory in Baltimore County, Maryland. The facility will be available to manufacture steel components for the U.S. offshore wind industry, including monopiles and towers.“The partnership between US Wind and Haizea to lead Sparrows Point Steel will create one of the premier offshore wind industrial facilities in the world…

An offshore wind hub is coming to the site of the former Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana as the region ramps up to service the growing renewable energy industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.New Orleans-based Gulf Wind Technology (GWT) announced Monday it is collaborating with energy supermajor Shell to establish a research, training and technology demonstration program at GWT’s facility within the Avondale Global Gateway in Jefferson Parish.The news comes after the Biden administration…

Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible.Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep – roughly the height of an 18-story building – these “monopile” structures are pretty much out of the question.A solution has emerged that’s being tested in several locations around the world: wind turbines that float.In California…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries will work together to address potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries’ scientific surveys, which help to manage the United States’s fisheries.For 150 years, the NOAA’s scientists have collected survey data that form the basis of the science-based management of America’s federal fisheries, support the protection and recovery of marine mammals and endangered and threatened species…

Prysmian Group, the energy and telecom cable systems provider, on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden on a visit to the site of its new subsea power cables plant in Brayton Point, Massachusetts. Prysmian said it was set to transform the area, home to the former Somerset coal plant, into a high-tech hub for the energy transition process.The Brayton Point factory will manufacture subsea inter-array and export cables up to 275 kV AC or 525 kV DC, that are needed to connect offshore wind farms to mainland power grids.

The Biden administration on Wednesday said it had identified 700,000 acres for possible offshore wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico, seeking to expand a growing clean energy industry to a major U.S. oil and gas hub.It also said President Joe Biden would direct his Interior Department to move ahead with offshore wind development in areas of the Atlantic coast where former President Donald Trump banned oil and gas development."Today we open up yet another coast and frontier in expanding offshore wind…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary on Wednesday announced the successful digital acoustic tagging of 14 sei whales in waters offshore Massachusetts. This is the first time researchers have successfully tagged an endangered species in the United States using an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone. The data will help authorities to better inform offshore wind energy area selection.BOEM said that the collected data would shed important light on the whales’ acoustic behavior…

The U.S. will hold a wind energy auction for two lease areas offshore the Carolinas on May 11, the U.S. Department of the Interior said Friday, as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed its environmental review.The lease areas cover 110,091 acres in the Carolina Long Bay area that, if developed, could result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power nearly 500,000 homes, the Department of the Interior said."The Biden-Harris administration is committed to supporting a robust clean energy economy…

Members of the U.S. commercial fishing industry are teaming up with an oil industry-backed lobbying group to fight offshore wind energy development on the East Coast, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with people involved.The unusual alliance reflects the breadth of opposition President Joe Biden faces as his administration pushes to expand offshore wind power and other clean energy sources dramatically to combat climate change.The fishing industry believes offshore wind farms will interfere with vessel navigation and hurt crucial stocks like squid and scallops…

The Biden administration on Tuesday said it will explore the potential of offshore wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico, part of its goal to supercharge growth in clean energy over the next decade."This is an important first step to see what role the Gulf may play in this exciting frontier,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.While the Gulf of Mexico is a major hub for offshore oil and gas production, it has had little renewable energy development. President Joe Biden has made the expansion of clean energy…

The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a goal to expand the nation’s fledgling offshore wind energy industry in the coming decade by opening new areas to development, accelerating permits, and boosting public financing for projects.The plan is part of President Joe Biden’s broader effort to eliminate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, an agenda that Republicans argue could bring economic ruin but which Democrats say can create jobs while protecting the…

Maryland state lawmakers have passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) of 2019, which would incentivize the development of 1.2 GW of additional offshore wind energy off the coast of Maryland.US Wind Country Manager Salvo Vitale testified last month before the Senate Finance Committee and House Economic Matters Committee urging passage of the legislation while citing the significant economic benefits that the legislation would make possible by incentivizing the development of 1,200 MegaWatts of additional offshore wind energy off the coast of Maryland."The benefits are many and will prove transformational to Maryland's economy: 5,000-7…

NOAA Fisheries, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) signed a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).According to an official release, the MoU brings local and regional fishing interests together with federal regulators to collaborate on the science and process of offshore wind energy development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.Safe, reliable, and affordable domestic energy production powers the U.S. economy, promotes jobs and is critical to our nation’s security. Offshore wind is an abundant, domestic energy resource that is located close to major coastal load centers…

Denmark and the United States have signed a memorandum to strengthen cooperation on offshore wind energy projects, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced. On May 4, 2016 at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C., Danish Ambassador Lars Gert Lose and BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to recognize their countries' common interests in developing offshore wind as a clean and sustainable energy source. “This is a historic event for our respective countries as we work together to share knowledge…

The Planning Inspectorate accepted Forewind’s development consent order application for the first stage of offshore wind energy development on the Dogger Bank Zone. The application for Dogger Bank Creyke Beck, comprising two offshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of up to 2.4 gigawatts (GW), was submitted in August after more than three years of surveys and research work, reporting and stakeholder engagement activity. The Planning Inspectorate will now begin a pre-examination phase that will be followed by a formal examination process, together these should take around 10 months.

Singapore-based Enterprize Energy and partner Renewable Energy Global Solutions (REGS), together with PetroVietnam consortium comprising Petroleum Equipment Assembly & Metal Structure (PVC-MS) and VietSovPetro (VSP), MHI-Vestas Offshore Wind (MVOW), and DNV GL signed a series of exclusive Agreements forming an alliance for multi-phased, utility-scale wind developments, offshore Southern Vietnam, including feasibility, environmental, development, financing planning through implementation. Ian Hatton, Enterprize Energy’s Chairman and Founder Director commented, “Vietnam’s impressive economic growth is driving a need for new energy resources. Government has a very clear determination to meet rising energy demand with substantive growth in the supply of low-carbon, renewable energy”.

Two new products—the Ocean Dimensions animation and Crowded Ocean Spaces: A 3D View visualization—explain why two-dimensional marine maps cannot tell the whole story. Understanding this fact helps viewers gain a more accurate picture of marine-siting conflicts and compatibilities, including those related to offshore wind energy development. Traditional maps can give the false impression that the marine space is very crowded. In reality, marine uses are spread out among many dimensions: the sea surface, seafloor, water column, air column and even the dimension of time.