A commercial wind lease sale in December is set to offer 79,350 acres offshore New York.
The US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper said the New York Wind Energy Area starts around 11.5nautical miles from Jones Beach.
From its western edge, the area extends around 24nautical miles at its longest portion.
The lease area consists of five full outer continental shelf blocks and 143 sub-blocks.
BOEM Director Hopper said New York was a “critical component” of building a US offshore wind industry.
She said:”The process to develop and refine the New York lease area, as well as the online auction, reflects the deep commitment BOEM has to listening and responding to stakeholders and ensuring that all voices are heard as we forge a path to clean energy future.”
After it had received comments on the Environmental Assessment, BOEM removed about 1,780 acres from the lease area due to concerns regarding a seafloor feature known as the Cholera Bank.
The BOEM has so far awarded eleven commercial wind leases, including nine through the competitive lease sale process.
These lease sales have generated more than $16million in winning bids for more than a million acres in federal waters.
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