As the federal process enabling offshore wind development in North Carolina progresses, companies with an eye on the state’s offshore wind energy potential could secure a lease and test wind speeds in areas near the coast of Kitty Hawk and Wilmington as soon as 2016.
Nearly 100 people from the Wilmington area attended a public information session about offshore wind energy at the Coastline Conference and Event Center on Feb. 11, where comments ranged from enthusiastic support to concerns about the impact on marine animals.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hosted the public information session in Wilmington, one of three meetings in North Carolina, to gather input on an environmental assessment released last month analyzing the impact of a potential lease sale and site assessment activities, like surveying and installing meteorological towers to test wind speeds. The environmental assessment is the final step before the ocean energy bureau holds a lease sale, likely in 2016, for companies interested in developing wind resources on more than 300,000 acres of wind energy areas off the coast.
After ocean energy bureau staff explained the environmental assessment and upcoming steps in the process, public comments and questions included specific recommendations for alternatives laid out in the assessment and how they might affect the migration pattern of the North Atlantic right whale; specifics about upcoming developments, including the cost for companies interested in leasing acres for wind energy development; and the environmental consequences of construction and maintenance of wind turbines and whether local communities could share revenues generated by the operations.
Southeastern Wind Coalition President Brian O’Hara said he was encouraged by the tone of support for offshore wind in the room.
“I think it’s great to see continued progress, and this is one more step in a fairly long process. It’s great to see the community engagement, and frankly, the level of support we saw tonight for offshore wind,” O’Hara said.
Following a lease sale, the ocean energy bureau must still oversee site and resource assessments, approve construction plans and issue a separate environmental appraisal specific to the construction plans before the first offshore wind farms near the North Carolina coast can begin producing energy. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Environmental Protection Specialist Brian Krevor said citizens will have plenty of opportunities to weigh in as the process unfolds, including a 60-day public comment period if the ocean energy bureau issues a proposed lease sale notice.
“There’s several more points along the way where the public would be involved, and where there would be public comment periods,” Krevor said. “We’ll be back in Wilmington. We’ll be back to North Carolina.”
To learn more about the environmental assessment and the timeline ahead for offshore wind energy development, visit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website. Public comments will accepted through Feb. 23.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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