First of four auctions in 2024 gets green light; proposed lease areas off coasts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia provide space for 6.3 GW of offshore wind energy
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2024
Media Contact: Luke Jeanfreau | [email protected] | 504-302-8079
BALTIMORE — The Oceantic Network, the leading organization working to advance offshore wind and other ocean renewable industries and their supply chains, is looking forward to the first auction of 2024 after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)’s release today of the Central Atlantic Final Sale Notice (FSN). This Notice is the last step required of the agency to hold a lease auction for the area, which is scheduled for August 14.
The Central Atlantic FSN includes one area offshore Delaware and Maryland, and another offshore Virginia. In total, the area available for lease covers more than 275,000 acres, enough to develop up to 6.3 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. Though a meaningful step forward for the U.S. offshore wind industry, additional lease sales are necessary to achieve East Coast clean energy goals.
Earlier this month, BOEM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the State of Maryland to engage stakeholders in identifying acreage for additional offshore wind lease auctions in the Atlantic. Additional acreage is critical to meeting Maryland’s and other Mid-Atlantic states’ offshore wind power generation targets. The Biden-Harris administration had previously committed to holding these auctions after publishing a Proposed Sale Notice in December for sites in the Central Atlantic. Also in June, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an Executive Order that directed every state agency to develop a plan for a just energy transition and requires the Maryland Energy Administration to chart a path toward powering the state with 100% clean electricity by 2035.
The following statement can be attributed to Liz Burdock, president and CEO at Oceantic Network:
“Today’s Central Atlantic FSN marks clear progress towards building a robust regional supply chain that will deliver jobs to places like Coastal Virginia, North Carolina, and Baltimore. Opening up these new areas, along with the next three lease auctions planned for this year, will support an already-developing pipeline that is putting Americans to work while nurturing tens of billions in new investments and manufacturing expansion across the nation. We encourage BOEM and Maryland to continue their work in identifying new areas to help meet regional targets. Recognizing the growing demand for offshore wind energy and the diverse set of stakeholders involved, BOEM consistently demonstrates its commitment to working directly with states to ensure their offshore wind targets can be met. These efforts, in combination with the other three lease sales set to happen in 2024, are leading to more jobs, increased investment, and continued growth of the domestic supply chain.”
Additional Information:
For more information or to arrange an interview with the Network, contact Luke Jeanfreau at [email protected] or 504-302-8079.
###
As a non-profit organization, the Oceantic Network’s driving purpose is to inform, coordinate, and mobilize human ingenuity, enterprise, and labor to take advantage of the urgent need to tap the vast offshore wind and renewable energy resources that lie in the world’s oceans. The collective, coordinated efforts of our 600+ members equip communities and nations to accelerate the transition to clean energy and create economic opportunities.
