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On October 29, 2024, the Department of Interior announced the results of an offshore wind energy lease sale on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Maine. The auction resulted in two provisional winners on four lease areas and over $21.9 million in winning bids.
Avangrid Renewables, LLC won Lease OCS-A 0564 at $4,928,250, which consists of 98,565 acres and Lease OCS-A 0568 at $6,244,850, which consists of 124,897 acres. Both lease areas are approximately 29.5 nautical miles (nm) from Massachusetts.
Invenergy NE Offshore Wind, LLC won Lease OCS-A 0562 at $4,892,700, which consists of 97,854 acres and is approximately 46.2 nm from Maine and Lease OCS-A 0567 at $5,889,000 which consists of 117,780 acres is approximately 21.6 nm from Massachusetts.
Together, the leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes with clean energy.
On September 6, 2024, BOEM announced the availability of its final Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Wind Energy Area (WEA) located in the Gulf of Maine.
After carefully considering alternatives described and analyzed in the Final EA, as well as comments from the public and cooperating and consulting agencies on the Draft EA, BOEM has found there would be no significant impact on the environment as a result of lease issuance.
On June 21, 2024, BOEM published a notice of availability (NOA) of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) in the Federal Register. The Draft EA assessed the potential impacts associated with possible wind energy-related leasing, site assessment, and site characterization activities on the U.S. Gulf of Maine.
Notice of Availability of Gulf of Maine Draft EA (BOEM-2024-0030)
Draft EA and Appendices: Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Gulf of Maine
The NOA initiated a 30-day public comment period that ended on July 22, 2024. During the public comment period, BOEM hosted two virtual meetings on the following dates:
In advance of the May 19, 2022 Gulf of Maine Task Force Meeting, BOEM released the Gulf of Maine Planning Area. The Planning Area is the starting point for the commercial leasing process, and will be significantly reduced through the ensuing planning and leasing phases. The first reduction will occur through a Request for Interest (RFI). Beginning with an RFI allows BOEM to gauge commercial interest in offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, while also maximizing the opportunity for the public to engage and provide input. BOEM prepared the RFI Development Framework to outline BOEM’s approach to developing a draft RFI and to receive feedback from the Task Force.
The discussion of wind energy development in the Gulf of Maine advanced in 2019, following the request from Governor Sununu of New Hampshire to create the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force. The first Task Force meeting was held on December 12, 2019.
Request for Interest (RFI)
Gulf of Maine RFI Area
On August 19, 2022, BOEM published a Request for Interest (RFI) for the Gulf of Maine in the Federal Register. The RFI was the first step in BOEM’s commercial planning and leasing process to identify the offshore locations that appear most suitable for development, taking into consideration potential impacts to resources and ocean users. The purpose of the RFI was to gauge interest in the development of commercial wind energy leases within the RFI Area, which consists of 13,713,825 acres in the Gulf of Maine. The RFI Area followed the RFI Development Framework shared at the May 2022 Task Force meeting, and mirrors the Draft RFI Area, with the exception of the expanded RFCI area, which is described in detail on the Research Lease Application tab.
Through the RFI, BOEM sought feedback from stakeholders, industry, Tribes, and others regarding the location and size of specific areas they wish to be included in (or excluded from) a future offshore wind energy lease sale, along with other planning considerations. This information will be used to narrow the area to be considered for offshore wind development as BOEM moves forward with the Gulf of Maine planning and leasing process.
Note: BOEM created this Data Inventory to share a current snapshot (i.e., at the time of RFI publication) of the publicly available data layers it is currently considering as part of the planning process. BOEM is actively working with Federal and state partners to identify and request other known data sources in the Gulf of Maine. The creation of this Inventory is in response to feedback received at the May 2022 Task Force meeting, and is intended to help inform the public in providing comments on the RFI. BOEM will periodically update this document as more data become available and are incorporated into the planning and analysis.
BOEM also published a separate Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in response to the State of Maine’s research lease application. For more information on that process go to Research Lease Application tab.
RFI Nominations
Gulf of Maine RFI Company Nominations
In response to the Request for Interest (RFI), BOEM received nominations of areas of interest from 5 developers. Each of the parties listed below has been legally, technically and financially qualified.
BOEM used information gained through public comment and industry nominations on the RFI, as well as spatial analysis advanced in partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Center for Coastal and Ocean Science (NCCOS) and reduced the original RFI area by about 27% to 9.9 million acres. The reduced area, or draft Call Area, can be viewed below.
On Apr. 25, 2023, BOEM announced the publication of the Gulf of Maine’s Call for Information and Nominations (Call). This Call invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The Call also requests input on data for the Wind Energy Area model that is being developed in collaboration with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) for the next phase of the planning process.
The final Call Area mostly mirrors the draft, with an exception along the southern boundary, as BOEM removed approximately 160,000 acres from future consideration to avoid Georges Bank. BOEM recognizes that some conflicts remain within the Call Area. The decision to maintain a broad Call Area is intentional, as BOEM seeks to maximize the use of an ecosystem-wide suitability model. Application of this powerful spatial analysis tool, developed in partnership with NCCOS, will assist in the identification of the least conflicted draft Wind Energy Areas, while still striving to meet the Biden-Harris administration and Gulf of Maine states’ renewable energy goals.
During the comment period, BOEM received nominations of areas of interest from 7 developers. Each of the parties listed below has been legally, technically and financially qualified.
Gulf of Maine Draft Wind Energy Area with
BOEM Secondary Areas for Further Analysis
On Oct. 19, 2023, BOEM announced a Draft Wind Energy Area (Draft WEA) in the Gulf of Maine and an accompanying a 30-day public comment period. The Draft WEA covers approximately 3,519,067 acres offshore Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ranging from approximately 23 - 120 miles off the coast.
BOEM used a comprehensive process to identify an area that appears most suitable for floating offshore wind energy leasing and potential development, taking into consideration possible impacts to coastal and marine resources and ocean users. BOEM collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) to use an ocean planning model that seeks to identify and minimize conflicts.
The Draft WEA represents a 64% reduction from the Call Area, which BOEM announced for comment in April 2023. The Draft WEA has a combined capacity of over 40 GW (assuming a power density of 3 megawatts per square kilometer), which exceeds the current combined offshore wind planning goals for the Gulf of Maine states: 10 GW for Massachusetts; 3 GW for Maine. BOEM anticipates future reductions to the Draft WEA, while striving to retain sufficient area to meet the States’ planning goals.
BOEM has also identified three Secondary Areas for Further Analysis (Secondary Areas). These areas are not part of the Draft WEA; however, BOEM seeks additional comment from the public on whether these areas (or a certain portion of them) should receive consideration as Final WEAs, and if so, under what recommended conditions.
BOEM is providing this opportunity for comment on Secondary Areas to be transparent about two areas that the model indicated were highly suitable, as well as to give the State of Maine and its stakeholders additional options for consideration and comment given the State’s offshore wind renewable energy goals and the considerable distance of the Draft WEA from potential points of interconnection in Maine.
Final Wind Energy Area
On Mar. 15, 2024, BOEM announcedthe designation of a Final Wind Energy Area (Final WEA) in the Gulf of Maine. Based on the feedback received through engagement and comment periods about natural and cultural resources and current ocean uses, the Final WEA, about 2 million acres, represents an 80% reduction from the Call Area and a 43% reduction from the Draft WEA. The Final WEA has the potential to support generation of 32 GW of clean energy, surpassing current state goals for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine: 10 GW for Massachusetts and 3 GW for Maine. Therefore, the size of the Final WEA will allow BOEM to consider additional deconfliction, while also supporting the region’s renewable energy goals and the potential for multiple lease sales, as BOEM continues to evaluate a phased leasing approach.
BOEM will conduct an environmental review of the Final WEA to assess potential impacts from offshore wind leasing activities (i.e., site characterization and site assessment activities). The Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) will publish in the Federal Register on Mar. 18, 2024, which will initiate a 30-day public comment period.
On April 30, 2024, the Interior Department announced its proposal for a first offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine. The proposed sale would include eight lease areas offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, totaling nearly 1 million acres, which have the potential to generate approximately 15 GW of clean, renewable energy and power over 5 million homes. In identifying these areas from the Final WEA, BOEM prioritized avoidance of offshore fishing grounds and identification of vessel transit routes, while retaining sufficient acreage to support the region’s offshore wind energy goals (13-18 GW based on information from Massachusetts, Maine, and ISO-New England).
The 60-day comment period on the PSN occurred May 1 – July 1, 2024. Comments are available by navigating to Regulations.gov and searching for BOEM-2024-0026.
BOEM also hosted several in-person and virtual public meetings. Meeting information, slides, and summaries are available here: PSN public meetings.
BOEM sought feedback on various aspects of the PSN, including the size, orientation, and location of the eight lease areas, as well as auction format and a potential lease stipulation regarding baseline environmental monitoring.
Auction Seminar
As a result of BOEM’s April 30, 2024, PSN announcement, on June 18, 2024, BOEM held an auction seminar for prospective bidders, which was open to the public.
On April 24, 2024, Secretary Haaland announced a new 5-year offshore wind leasing schedule. This schedule includes two anticipated Gulf of Maine sales: the first in October 2024; and the second in 2028.
In the Gulf of Maine, we began asking about a potential “phased leasing” approach when we published the Draft WEA n October 2023. The concept of phased leasing is that multiple lease sales could occur within the region over a number of years, drawing from Final WEA(s). When we published the Final WEA and the accompanying Area Identification memo, we referenced the broad support received for a phased leasing approach within the Draft WEA comments; however, we acknowledged that commentor recommendations for the scale and timing of those phases varied widely across individuals and stakeholder groups.
The Secretary’s announcement is a continuation of this conversation on “phased leasing,” and would represent a potential second phase for the Gulf of Maine in 2028. The timing and scope of a second Gulf of Maine sale would be directly informed by the results of the 2024 sale, as well as the future position of potentially affected Tribes, Gulf of Maine states, stakeholder engagement, relevant market conditions, and regional energy goals.
Final Sale Notice
Potential Energy Impact of the Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Energy Lease Sale
On September 16, 2024, BOEM announced the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for offshore wind leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the U.S. Gulf of Maine.
The FSN published in the Federal Register on September 17, 2024, and contains information about the areas available for leasing, certain lease provisions and conditions, auction details, criteria for evaluating competing bids and procedures for lease award, appeals and lease execution.
The area included in the FSN is approximately 120,000 acres less than what BOEM proposed in its Proposed Sale Notice (PSN), which was announced earlier this year. These removals, informed by public comment and engagement meetings, prioritized the avoidance of offshore fishing grounds and sensitive habitats, as well as the facilitation of existing and future vessel transit, while still retaining sufficient acreage to support the region’s offshore wind energy goals.
Gulf of Maine Final Lease Areas, Acres, and Assigned Region
Lease Area ID
Region
Total Acres
Developable Acres
Net Change from PSN (Developable Acres)
OCS-A 0562
North
97,854
97,854
-23,485
OCS-A 0563
North
105,682
105,682
-26,687
OCS-A 0564
North
98,565
93,756
-11,743
OCS-A 0565
North
103,191
103,191
-12,099
OCS-A 0566
North
96,075
96,075
-31,313
OCS-A 0567
North
117,780
113,208
-4,183
OCS-A 0568
North
124,897
116,363
-7,026
OCS-A 0569
North
106,038
101,757
0
Total
850,082
827,886
-116,536
Average
106,260
103,486
-14,567
Learn how BOEM and NOAA use a multi-phase, public process to tackle the complicated task of identifying potential areas for offshore renewable energy development.
Click here to explore and interactive StoryMap explaining the offshore wind energy siting process in the Gulf of Maine
How Did We Get Here?
This Final Sale Notice (FSN) reflects a multi-year planning process that has included robust engagement with Tribes, local communities, federal and state agencies, ocean users, and stakeholders to balance the complex social, ecological, and economic factors in the Gulf of Maine. See the Commercial Leasing History tab for more background and history.
BOEM’s strategic partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science has enhanced this process and incorporated the best available ocean resource information to inform wind energy areas. These efforts, summarized in the video and StoryMap on this page, are designed to set an informed foundation to deconflict multiple ocean uses in areas of future offshore wind energy development.
History of Individual Gulf of Maine State Activities:
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