December 12, 2022 — As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, today the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of two draft Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for offshore wind projects for public review and comment. The Coastal Virginia Wind (CVOW) project and the Sunrise Wind project, if approved, could provide over 4,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy capacity, enough to power over 1.3 million homes.
These projects represent the fourth and fifth projects at this stage of regulatory review by BOEM. In addition to today’s action, the Department of the Interior has approved what will be the nation’s first two commercial scale offshore wind projects, initiated review on an additional ten projects, and held three offshore wind lease auctions.
“BOEM is committed to President Biden and Secretary Haaland’s vision for a clean energy future – one that will combat climate change, create good-paying union jobs, and ensure economic opportunities are accessible to all communities. Central to that is the comprehensive and rigorous review of projects,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “As BOEM continues to make unprecedented progress, we will continue to work collaboratively with our Tribal, state, and local government partners to harness the transformative potential of U.S. offshore wind, while avoiding or minimizing potential impacts to marine life and other ocean users.”
The proposed CVOW commercial project offshore Virginia Beach could provide up to 3,000 MW of energy, enough to power at least 1 million homes. The proposed Sunrise Wind project offshore New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island could provide up to 1,034 MW of energy, enough to power at least 350,000 homes.