Federal government issues a final sale notice for six lease areas, up to 7 GW of capacity, making it the first U.S. offshore wind lease sale in over three years
For Immediate Release: January 12, 2022
Media Contact: Melinda Skea | melinda@offshorewindus.org | 202-709-9793
Baltimore — The U.S. Department of Interior today green-lit a lease sale in the New York Bight, the first offshore wind lease sale in over three years and the first under the Biden Administration. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued its final sale notice for the roughly 480,000-acre area off the New York and New Jersey coast for six lease areas, paving the way for an auction next month.
The New York Bight is expected to produce up to seven gigawatts of renewable energy – enough to power millions homes – and moves the nation toward the Biden Administration’s goal of 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, as well as help New York and New Jersey achieve their own offshore wind goals. The announcement comes just days after the Governor of New York announced $500 million for offshore wind development and said the state would begin looking beyond its 9 GW goal.
The below can be attributed to Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Network:
“The long-anticipated leasing of the New York Bight creates a globally attractive market and is a giant step towards realizing the Biden Administration goal of developing 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. These six new lease areas will draw in new investors and developers to the U.S. market and foster the competition that will catalyze major supply chain development regionally and nationally. Sustaining this momentum is critical to the federal government to support the new but quickly growing U.S. offshore wind manufacturing base and supply chain. With its potential to supply large-scale and dependable clean energy, the responsible development of offshore wind is still our best strategy to quickly decarbonizing our economy and mitigating the effects of climate change.”
For more information or to arrange an interview with the Network, contact Melinda Skea at melinda@offshorewindus.org or 202-709-9793.
Additional Information:
- BOEM’s Final Sale Notice (January 12, 2022)
- BOEM’s Environmental Assessment (December 16, 2021)
- New York Announces $500 Million Investment in Offshore Wind (January 5, 2022)
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The Business Network for Offshore Wind is the largest non-profit organization dedicated solely to building a robust offshore wind supply chain and expanding adoption of offshore wind energy. It advances the industry through collaboration, education, and innovation, including the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF), the leading offshore wind conference in North America, and the OSW Market Dashboard. Learn more at offshorewindus.org.