Facts
The New Jersey competitive lease auction was the U.S.' ninth competitive lease sale for renewable energy in federal waters for potential offshore wind energy development.
Prior to the New Jersey competitive lease auction, the Department of Interior's BOEM had awarded nine commercial offshore wind leases, including seven through the competitive lease sale process (two in an area offshore Rhode Island-Massachusetts, another two offshore Massachusetts, two offshore Maryland and one offshore Virginia). These lease sales have generated about $14.5 million in winning bids for more than 700,000 acres in federal waters.
About the Massachusetts' project
Bay State Wind is DONG Energy’s first project in the U.S. As Bay State Wind, DONG Energy is proposing the construction and operation of a utility scale offshore windfarm off the southern coast of Cape Cod. On April 7, 2015, the Company secured newly assigned project development rights to an ocean area south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts that was made available for lease by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) in a competitive solicitation.
With water depths between 130-165 feet, this site sits approximately 15 nautical miles from the nearest landmass, Bay State Wind is proposing to use that site to build a utility scale offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of up to 1,000MW.