The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced three final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
The three WEAs total approximately 356,550 acres. The first is some 26 nautical miles off Delaware Bay, the second is 23.5 nautical miles offshore Ocean City, and the last is 35 nautical miles from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. If fully developed, the final WEAs could support 4–8 GW of clean renewable energy production.
BOEM will publish its Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental assessment of potential impacts from offshore wind leasing in the WEAs in the Federal Register on August 1, 2023, which will initiate a 30-day public comment period.
Another public comment period would occur if BOEM decides to move forward with a lease sale in any of the WEAs.
The three final WEAs are in comparatively shallow water, but BOEM may identify additional WEAs in deepwater areas offshore the US Central Atlantic coast for future leasing once further study of those areas has been done.
There is still deliberation between the Department of Defence and NASA on whether to include the WEA B-1 area offshore Ocean City in the lease sale.
Namely, an in-depth review of the area is still being conducted to determine if the activities of the DoD and NASA could co-exist with wind energy development.