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Us Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management News

25 Mar 2024

BOEM Announces Review of Proposed Vineyard Northeast Project

Source: BOEM

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will initiate an environmental review of Vineyard Northeast’s proposed offshore wind energy project, located 29 miles offshore Nantucket, Massachusetts at its closest point. BOEM estimates the proposed project would generate up to 2,600MW of electricity, enough to power more than 900,000 homes with clean renewable energy. The approximately 132,370-acre Lease Area is located some 29 miles (mi) from Nantucket and approximately 39 mi offshore Martha’s Vineyard…

26 Jan 2024

BOEM and NOAA Release North Atlantic Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy

© Tony / Adobe Stock

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have released a final joint strategy to protect and promote the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy.The strategy builds on existing mitigation measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from the potential impacts of offshore wind development and was developed to support the Biden-Harris administration's goal of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction.

20 Dec 2023

US Gulf of Mexico oil Auction is Largest Since 2015

© arsenypopel / Adobe Stock

A Biden administration auction of Gulf of Mexico drilling rights raised $382 million on Wednesday as oil companies claimed offshore acreage for what is set to be the last time until 2025.The auction total was the highest of any federal offshore oil and gas lease sale since 2015, according to a Reuters tally.Shell, Hess, Anadarko, BP, Chevron, Repsol and Equinor were among the 26 companies that participated in the sale.Anadarko had the auction's highest bid of more than $25 million for a block in the deepwater Mississippi Canyon area, according to an online broadcast of the sale by the U.S.

02 Nov 2023

US Postpones Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Auction Due to Litigation

Credit: james_pintar/AdobeStock

The Biden administration on Thursday postponed a Nov. 8 sale of offshore drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico pending the outcome of a lawsuit over oil and gas development and federal protection of an endangered species of whale.The move comes after a U.S. appeals court on Oct. 26 temporarily paused a lower court order requiring the Interior Department's U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to expand the auction, which was originally scheduled to be held in September.Oral arguments are scheduled for Nov.

20 Oct 2023

40GW Potential: U.S. Regulator Seeks Public Input on Gulf of Maine Draft Wind Energy Area

Credit: BOEM

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.

16 Oct 2023

Massachusetts Offshore Wind Farm Dodges Lawsuits over Environmental, Fishing Concerns

Credit: Avangrid

A U.S. judge has rejected challenges to federal environmental permits and construction approvals for a $4 billion offshore wind farm near Massachusetts, which commercial fishing groups have claimed will harm whales and impair their businesses.U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston last Thursday tossed the final two federal district court lawsuits directly challenging the Vineyard Wind project roughly 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, which would be the first commercial…

06 Oct 2023

US Sets Date for Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale After Court Order

Credit: Lukasz Z/AdobeStock

The Biden administration on Thursday said it would hold an auction of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 8 following a court order to expand the sale.In a statement, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said the sale would offer about 72.7 million acres on the Outer Continental Shelf, including 6 million acres it had withdrawn from the auction in an effort to protect the endangered Rice's whale habitat.Last month, a U.S. appeals court gave the administration until Nov. 8 to hold the sale, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 27.

02 Oct 2023

Biden Angers All Sides with Scaled Back Offshore Oil Drilling Plan

Credit: Lukasz Z/AdobeStock

The Biden administration's plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing drew fire from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists on Friday, with energy companies saying it will raise fuel prices and greens saying it undermines efforts to stop global warming. The criticism from both sides reflects the difficulty Biden's White House has had in dealing with U.S. oil extraction policies, as it seeks to balance national energy security with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

29 Sep 2023

US Plans Sharp Reduction in Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales

Credit: scandamerican/AdobeStock

The Biden administration on Friday unveiled a plan to phase down oil and gas auctions in federal waters with the release of a long-awaited leasing schedule that includes a maximum of three sales in the Gulf of Mexico through 2029.The Interior Department's plan includes by far the lowest number of sales since the agency began producing Congressionally-mandated five-year oil and gas leasing schedules in 1980. Previous programs have ranged between 11 and 41 sales, according to Interior's U.S.

26 Sep 2023

First Monopiles for Giant U.S. Offshore Wind Project Set Sail

Credit:  EEW SPC

German offshore wind monopile maker EEW SPC said Monday that the first eight monopiles for the Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project in the U.S. were loaded at the Rostock quayside in Germany, and set sail for the U.S. on September 21, 2023.In preparation for RoRo loading, the monopiles were lifted into the transport cradle using the Strand Jack system. Now aboard the carrier deck, the foundations are on their way to Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth, Va.…

25 Sep 2023

U.S. BOEM Completes Environmental Review of Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project

Credit: Alex/AdobeStock

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Monday it had completed its environmental review of the proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project.“The completion of our environmental review marks another step towards a clean energy future—one that benefits communities and co-exists with other ocean users,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “The best available science and knowledge shared by Tribes, other government agencies, local communities, ocean users…

01 Aug 2023

BOEM Announces Three Final Wind Energy Areas Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia

Credit: BOEM

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Monday announced three final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.These areas, BOEM said, were developed following extensive engagement and feedback from states, Tribes, local residents, ocean users, federal government partners, and other members of the public.If fully developed, the final WEAs could support between four and eight gigawatts of energy production. The Biden administration has a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.The three WEAs total approximately 356…

22 May 2023

BOEM Completes Environmental Analysis of New Jersey Offshore Wind Project

©BOEM

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Monday it had completed its environmental analysis of the proposed Ocean Wind 1 wind project offshore New Jersey, which could power up to a half million households.As part of the Ocean Wind 1 project, Orsted's Ocean Wind LLC proposes to build up to 98 wind turbine generators (WTGs) and up to three offshore substations within its lease area. At its closest point, the Ocean Wind 1 project will be at least 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

26 Apr 2023

BOEM Seeks Public Input on Possible Offshore Wind Development in Gulf of Maine

©BOEM

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.

24 Feb 2023

U.S. Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale Set for March

©Lukasz Z/AdobeStock

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Friday that it would hold an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March 2023.The Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 259 will offer approximately 13,600 blocks on 73.3 million acres in the Western, Central, and Eastern Planning Areas on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Lease Sale 259 was one of three offshore lease sales initially cancelled by the Biden Administration in May 2022. The subsequent Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) mandated that BOEM hold Lease Sale 259 no later than March 31…

17 Nov 2022

U.S. BOEM Seeks Public Comments for Eight Wind Energy Areas Off Central Atlantic Coast

©BOEM

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Wednesday announced eight draft Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore the U.S. central Atlantic coast for public review and comment. The draft offshore wind areas cover approximately 1.7 million acres offshore North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware The areas' closest points range from about 19 to 77 nautical miles off the U.S. central Atlantic coast. “As BOEM moves forward to identify wind energy areas in the central Atlantic…

31 Oct 2022

U.S. Designates Offshore Wind Farm Development Areas in Gulf of Mexico

©BOEM

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico, best known to the offshore energy industry as an oil and gas province, is for the first time opening its doors to the offshore wind industry, with the U.S administration on Monday designating two areas for offshore wind development in the region.The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Monday said it had finalized two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico, with the potential to produce enough electricity to power nearly 3 million households.The first WEA is located approximately 24 nautical miles (nm) off the coast of Galveston, TX.

28 Feb 2022

Third Day of Bidding: U.S. Offshore Wind Auction Nears $4B

Credit: Ian Dyball/AdobeStock

The Biden administration's sale of offshore wind development rights off the coasts of New York and New Jersey continued to shatter all records on Friday, reaching over $3.8 billion with one single block fetching over $1 billion.The auction, which began on Wednesday, is the first offshore wind lease sale under U.S. President Joe Biden, who sees the expansion of offshore wind as a way to tackle climate change and create thousands of new jobs.The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)…

11 May 2022

U.S. to Hold Offshore Wind Auction for Carolina Coast

© Ian Dyball/AdobeStock

The Biden administration on Wednesday will hold a wind energy auction for two areas off the coast of North and South Carolina, its second such offering this year.The sale is part of the government's broad push to put wind turbines in federal waters along every U.S. coastline and comes on the heels of a record February wind auction off the coast of New York and New Jersey that drew $4.37 billion in high bids.U.S. President Joe Biden has said the nascent offshore wind industry will create good-paying jobs while creating the carbon-free electricity needed to combat climate change.

28 Feb 2022

Enthusiasm for Clean Energy Undeniable, Sec. Haaland Says after Record U.S. Offshore Wind Lease Sale

©Dominic Dudley/AdobeStock

The Biden administration's sale of offshore wind development rights off the coasts of New York and New Jersey drew a record $4.37 billion in high bids from developers that included major European energy companies.The auction, which began on Wednesday and stretched into Friday afternoon, is the first offshore wind lease sale under U.S. President Joe Biden, who sees the expansion of the industry as a way to tackle climate change and create jobs.The administration has set a goal to install some 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 along the nation's coastlines and several states…

05 May 2022

BOEM Environmental Review: No Significant Impact of Potential Offshore Wind Leasing in Area Off California

Credit: Studio-FI/AdobeStock (Cropped)

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Thursday it had completed its environmental review of potential impacts from offshore wind energy leasing activities in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area, located 20 miles offshore northern California. Based on its analysis, BOEM has issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). “The completion of this Environmental Assessment represents an important step forward for ensuring that any future renewable energy development – should a lease sale occur -- is done in a responsible manner,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton.

13 May 2022

TotalEnergies Confirms U.S. Offshore Wind Award. Says Wind Farm Could Come Online by 2030

Credit: TotalEnergies

After the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced TotalEnergies and Duke Energy Corp as the winners of two offshore wind leases in federal waters off the coast of North and South Carolina on Wednesday, the confirmation came Friday from TotalEnergies, too.TotalEnergies has won the maritime lease area OCS-A 0545 as part of the Carolina Long Bay auction. This bid for the development of an offshore wind farm in the Carolina Long Bay area offshore North Carolina was won for a consideration of US$ 160 million by TotalEnergies.Located 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from the coast…

07 Jul 2022

Intelatus Provides Snapshot of U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Progress

Credit: brand.punkt./AdobeStock

The U.S. offshore wind sector continues its journey to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050, Intelatus Global Partners said in its July U.S. offshore wind report.Two major OCS projects with around 940 MW of capacity have reached FID and have started onshore construction, and seven projects are expected to make a final investment decision within the next 18 months.According to Intelatus, 11 OCS developments with a potential for more than 17 GW are undergoing federal permitting review, and 17.5 GW of project capacity has secured offtake commitments from states.Also, the U.S.