Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment and Characterization Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Maine

Applicant: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management    

Activity: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to issue commercial leases within the Wind Energy Area (WEA) and grant rights-of-way and rights-of-use and easement in support of future wind energy development in the Gulf of Maine. BOEM’s Gulf of Maine WEA is an approximately 2,001,902-acre area on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) located approximately 57 nautical miles or more offshore of New Hampshire. Issuance of commercial leases would result in site assessment activities (i.e., deployment, operation, and decommissioning of meteorological buoys) and site characterization activities (i.e., geophysical, geotechnical, biological, and archaeological surveys and monitoring activities). High-resolution geophysical (HRG) survey data provides information on seafloor and subsurface conditions as they pertain to project siting and design, including shallow geologic and anthropogenic hazards like the presence or absence of archaeological resources. Geotechnical surveys are performed to assess the suitability of substrate to support a structure foundation or offshore export cables under operational and environmental conditions that could potentially be encountered (including extreme weather events), as well as to document the sediment characteristics necessary for design and installation of all structures and cables. Biological surveys are necessary to characterize the biological resources that could be affected by site assessment and site characterization activities, including benthic habitat, avian, bat, and marine fauna.

Issuance of commercial leases would not authorize any energy facility construction or operation activities on the OCS but would grant the lessee the exclusive rights to submit for BOEM’s potential approval a site assessment plan (SAP) and Construction and Operations Plan (COP) proposing development of the lease for potential future construction and operation of offshore wind turbines, installation of inter-array and export cables, and associated wind energy-related facilities in the Gulf of Maine. Permitting and consultation for future construction and operation of offshore wind energy facilities would be addressed through separate processes after the submittal of a SAP and COP. 

For additional information regarding BOEM’s offshore wind commercial leasing process in the Gulf of Maine, including maps of the Final Wind Energy Area and Proposed Lease Areas, visit the BOEM’s Gulf of Maine website. 

Comments Deadline: July 12, 2024 at 4 PM. 

Comments can be mailed to:

New Hampshire Coastal Program 
NHDES Watershed Management Bureau
222 International Drive, Suite 175
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Attention: Christian Williams, Program Coordinator
or emailed to christian.p.williams@des.nh.gov.