The Wind Energy Area offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts covers about 164,750 acres and is located 9.2 nautical miles south of the Rhode Island coastline. BOEM will auction the area as two leases, referred to as the North Lease Area (Lease OCS-A0486) and the South Lease Area (Lease OCS-A0487). The North Lease Area consists of about 97,500 acres and the South Lease Area covers about 67,250 acres.
According to a report recently released by the Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the North Lease Area has the potential for installed capacity of 1,955 megawatts (MW), and the South Lease Area, 1,440 MW. Together, these areas could support enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes, a significant increase over what BOEM had originally estimated last year. For a map of the Wind Energy Area, click here.
The lease areas will be auctioned simultaneously. Under the procedures, BOEM will consider nonmonetary (i.e., whether a bidder holds a Joint Development Agreement or a Power Purchase Agreement) and monetary (cash bid) factors. The nonmonetary phase of the auction will begin on July 29, 2013, and the monetary phase on July 31, 2013.
BOEM will also host a mock auction for the following companies that have expressed an interest and BOEM has determined will be eligible to participate in the auction:
• Deepwater Wind New England, LLC
• EDF Renewable Development, Inc.
• Energy Management, Inc.
• Fishermen’s Energy, LLC
• IBERDROLA RENEWABLES, Inc.
• Neptune Wind, LLC
• Sea Breeze Energy, LLC
• U.S. Mainstream Renewable Power (Offshore) Inc.
• US Wind Inc.
The two lease areas available for auction are identical to those announced in the Proposed Sale Notice, which was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 3, 2012, for a 60-day public comment period. BOEM carefully considered public comments during this time prior to developing the Final Sale Notice. The comments, as well as BOEM’s responses, can be viewed on BOEM’s website by clicking here.
BOEM will publish the Final Sale Notice in the Federal Register on June 5. In addition to the list of eligible bidders, the notice contains specific information pertaining to the areas available for leasing, lease provisions and conditions, auction details, criteria for evaluating bids, award procedures, lease execution and other information. The Final Sale Notice can be previewed by clicking here.
BOEM also has made available a revised environmental assessment (EA) for commercial wind lease issuance and related activities within the Wind Energy Area offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The EA considers reasonable foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic impacts from issuing renewable energy leases and conducting site characterization (e.g., surveys) and assessment (e.g., installation and operation of meteorological towers and buoys) activities in the designated offshore area.
As a result of the analysis in the revised EA, BOEM issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, which concluded that reasonably foreseeable environmental effects associated with the commercial wind lease issuance and related activities would not significantly impact the environment.