More Wind Power for U.S. Atlantic Coast

The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has confirmed it will auction 344,000 acres of the ocean floor off the New Jersey coast for offshore windmill development. BOEM said the area can support 3,400 megawatt turbines and generate enough energy to power 1.2 million homes and business when fully developed. The Feds plan to auction two leases from November 9 to November 13.

The government has already granted $14.5 million in wind leases for projects off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia. Construction has already begun on the Rhode Island project.

BOEM recently approved an offshore wind energy leasing project off the North Carolina coast for about 480-square mile area in the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Seaboard has a shallow seabed as well as largest energy demand areas in the nation.