New York Activities
New York Lease Area
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What's New?
On December 15-16, 2016, BOEM held a lease sale (i.e., auction) for an area offshore New York, referred to as the “New York lease area.”
The auction lasted 33 rounds. The provisional winner of the lease sale is Statoil Wind US LLC, which bid $42,469,725 for lease area OCS-A 0512. Avangrid Renewables, LLC, DONG Energy Wind Power (U.S.) Inc., Innogy US Renewable Projects LLC, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and wpd offshore Alpha LLC also participated in the lease sale. A summary of the bidding results can view at: www.boem.gov/Bid-Summary-ATLW-6/.
Additional information related to the lease sale can be found below.
Background
The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act requires BOEM to award leases competitively, unless BOEM determines there is no competitive interest. On September 8, 2011, BOEM received an unsolicited request from the New York Power Authority (NYPA), Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and Consolidated Edison (ConEd) for a commercial lease from NYPA. The proposal includes the installation of up to 194, 3.6 megawatt (MW) wind turbines, yielding a potential 700 MW of wind energy generation. A copy of the application is available below.
On Jan. 4 2013, BOEM issued a Request for Interest in the Federal Register under Docket ID: BOEM-2012-0083 to assess whether there are other parties interested in developing commercial wind facilities in the same area proposed by NYPA. In addition to inquiring about competitive interest, BOEM also sought public comment on the NYPA proposal, its potential environmental consequences, and the use of the area in which the proposed project would be located.
- Public comments and indications of interest received can be viewed here.
- BOEM received indications of interest from
Fishermen’s Energy, LLC and Energy Management, Inc.
Call for Information and Nominations
After reviewing nominations of interest received in response to the Request for Interest, BOEM determined that competitive interest in the area proposed by NYPA exists, and initiated the competitive leasing process pursuant to 30 C.F.R. 585.211. Subsequently, on May 28, 2014, BOEM published a “Call for Information and Nominations” (Call) to seek additional nominations from companies interested in commercial wind energy leases within the Call area offshore New York (see map below). BOEM also sought public input on the potential for wind development in the Call Area, including comments on site conditions, resources, and existing uses of the area that would be relevant to BOEM’s wind energy development authorization process. Materials relating to the “Call” are below.
Proposed Sale Notice
BOEM published a “Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New York” in the Federal Register on June 6, 2016, which includes a 60-day public comment period ending on August 5, 2016.
Correspondence Referenced in the PSN
Final Sale Notice
On October 27, 2016, BOEM announced the publication of the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for a lease sale offshore New York and the availability of a revised environmental assessment for site assessment and site characterization activities in the area. The lease area is located 11.5 nautical miles (nm) from Jones Beach, NY. From its western edge, the area extends approximately 24 nmi southeast at its longest portion. The project area consists of 5 full OCS blocks and 143 sub-blocks. Materials related to the FSN are below.
On November 18, 2016, BOEM held a seminar to educate bidders on changes to the auction format announced in the Final Sale Notice. A recording of the seminar is available through this link: www.boem.gov/New-York-Auction-Education-Seminar/.
Environmental Review and Wind Energy Area Identification
BOEM published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) on May 28, 2014. The purpose of the EA is to determine whether there are significant impacts associated with issuing a lease, conducting site characterization surveys, and conducting site assessment activities (e.g., the installation of a meteorological tower and/or buoys) within the proposed area. Through the NOI, BOEM sought public input on the environmental and socioeconomic issues to be considered, as well as alternatives and mitigation measures. The NOI and public comments are provided below.
On March 16, 2016, the Department of Interior announced that BOEM has identified a Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore New York. Additional information about BOEM’s decision can be found below.
BOEM published an EA for a 30-day public comment period on June 6, 2016. In response to stakeholder requests, BOEM extended the public comment until July 13, 2016. BOEM will consider all comments received in determining whether to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact, or conduct additional analysis under NEPA.
After reviewing comments received on the environmental assessment, BOEM decided to remove five aliquots (about 1,780 acres) from the WEA due to environmental concerns over sensitive habitat on Cholera Bank. In a comment letter, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identified the Cholera Bank feature as a sensitive habitat to be avoided for the placement of site assessment structures. As a result of this removal, the revised lease area will be less than 2% smaller than the lease area considered in the initial environmental assessment and Proposed Sale Notice.
Visual Simulations
BOEM has undertaken a project to develop visual simulations of a hypothetical wind energy facility on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Long Island, New York. Additional information on the study can be found here.
Environmental Studies
BOEM has funded or considered numerous studies to collect information about the marine environment to support decisions concerning offshore renewable energy development. For more information, please visit http://www.boem.gov/New-York-Environmental-Studies/.
Task Force Meetings
BOEM coordinates Outer Continental Shelf renewable energy activities offshore New York with its federal, state, local, and tribal government partners through its Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force. To obtain information discussed during these meetings click on the links below.
Other Public Meetings
Related Press Releases