BOEM Lease Areas

BOEM News. (January 11, 2024)
BOEM announces notice of availability (NOA) of a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) that assesses the potential impacts associated with possible wind energy-related leasing, site assessment, and site characterization activities on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.


BOEM intends to lease more wind farm area off Delaware coast.
The U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced a proposal of another offshore wind lease sale, this time in ocean waters about 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay. 


Description of BOEM draft Wind Energy Areas for the Central Atlantic, July 2023; includes link for comments (due August 31, 2023)


BOEM map showing draft Wind Energy Areas for the Central Atlantic, July 2023


BOEM maps showing call areas and current Maryland projects off Delaware’s coast.


DNREC comments in response to BOEM’s (BOEM) published notice for comment on the Draft Wind Energy Areas (WEA) offshore the U.S. Central Atlantic coast in June, 2022.
Benthic habitats will be fundamentally altered due to the installation of wind turbines and associated scour protection structures.  DNREC suggests the mapping of benthic features at appropriate spatial scales before, during, and after construction to allow for the examination of changes to benthic resources, and the impacts that these changes may have on fish, fisheries, marine mammals, and other marine life. 


POWER comments in response to BOEM’s (BOEM) published notice for comment on the Draft Wind Energy Areas (WEA) offshore the U.S. Central Atlantic coast on December 16, 2022.
We urge BOEM to continue its orderly process, and designate new call areas off Delaware’s shores. Having additional wind energy areas off our own coast will provide not only the opportunity for an offshore wind project for Delaware but will also encourage offshore wind support facility investments in Delaware and will provide employment for Delawareans.