Floating Offshore Wind in the Gulf of Maine

Recent News: Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Auction and Lease Sale (10/29/2024)

• 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 4 lease areas (OCS-562, OCS-564, OCS-567, and OCS-568). OCS-564, OCS-567 and OCS-568 are the three lease areas closest to Cape Cod.
• OCS-564: $4,928,250 / 98,565 acres = $50/acre
• OCS-567: $5,889,000/ 117,780 acres= $50/acre
• OCS-568: $6,244,850/ 124,897 acres= $50/acre

From BOEM press release: “Today, the Biden-Harris administration completed its sixth offshore wind lease sale by offering areas in the Gulf of Maine – the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast. The sale, conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), resulted in two provisional winners on four lease areas and over $21.9 million in winning bids….Through today’s sale, Avangrid Renewables, LLC won Lease OCS-564 at $4,928,250, which consists of 98,565 acres and Lease OCS-568 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-562 at $4,892,700, which consists of 97,854 acres and is approximately 46.2 nm from Maine and Lease OCS-567 at $5,889,000 which consists of 117,780 acres is approximately 21.6 nautical miles (nm) from Massachusetts.”

Offshore Wind Position and Comment Letters

On October 23, 2024 the Fishermen’s Alliance Board of Directors approved a position statement associated with floating offshore wind (below).

We are a commercial fishing advocacy organization that has worked for 35 years to protect the livelihoods of commercial fishermen, the coastal communities they depend on, and the marine environment. We see the aggressive rush to industrialize our ocean with thousands of offshore wind turbines on the fishing grounds adjacent to Cape Cod as a pivotal moment for the health of our industry. We oppose offshore wind development on fishing grounds, until it can be shown not to have a negative impact on our ocean environment or our fishing communities. We are concerned about the harm to the ocean environment, as well as negative impacts to commercial fishing operations and seafood production. As wind development looms on the horizon, we will work to make sure small fishing businesses are not just part of the discussion, but that every decision contributes to a healthy ocean and a robust and prosperous fishing industry. It is our job to provide fishermen with the opportunities to get their voices heard in the process.

As it relates to our Mission:

We aim to create a space for open dialogue, resource sharing, and education related to the development and operations of new and proposed floating offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine.

We strive to provide a voice on issues impacting our constituents related to the development and operations of new and proposed floating offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine and empower them to engage in the process. This will be accomplished by directly collaborating with key agencies including the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, fishery management councils, and state agencies, as well as the commercial fishing industry, offshore developers, scientists, universities, and other stakeholders, to address offshore wind development in our region. Our goal is to promote and protect our marine environment, fisheries and coastal blue economy.

While this process continues to play out, with limited staff resources, we intend to focus on the following six priorities:

1. Enhance Advocacy and Engagement: Actively represent membership interests and boost participation in offshore wind discussions and/or negotiations. Strategically engage in effective advocacy for Offshore Wind accountability through science-based arguments, thorough decommissioning plans and requirements for leases, thorough offshore wind planning timelines, meaningful public input opportunities, and comprehensive impact analyses (e.g., economic, environmental, cost-benefit).
2. Coordinate Efforts: Collaborate with local, and state advisory groups, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), MA Fisheries Working Group, to streamline advice, avoid duplication and improve coordination on offshore wind development to mitigate conflicts.
3. Support and Disseminate Research: Advocate for funding to support scientific research on offshore wind impacts on wildlife, fisheries, and habitats. Ensure that this data is publicly accessible to guide mitigation and inform community efforts.
4. Inform and Educate: Gather and distribute relevant information to the fishing community and the public about floating offshore wind, addressing industry needs and concerns. Share opportunities for fishermen to financially benefit from offshore wind including surveys, debris recovery, and fisheries mitigation funds. Foster transparency and broad engagement with the Cape Cod community through various channels like social media, websites, and meetings.
5. Facilitate Dialogue: Act as an advisor between offshore wind developers and fishermen to discuss our concerns, provide fishermen with the opportunity to get their voices heard in the process, empower fishermen to negotiate, and implement effective fisheries mitigation strategies.
6. Promote Community Benefits: Advocate that future Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) reflect the specific needs of members and promote long-term community benefits.

For more information please contact Aubrey Church, Fisheries Policy Director: aubrey@capecodfishermen.org

Below you will find letters associated with proposed offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine:

• Letter to BOEM regarding Proposed Sale Notice in the Gulf of Maine – June 27, 2024
• Letter to BOEM on Environmental Assessment of Wind Energy Area in the Gulf of Maine – April 15, 2024
• Statement from 17 Gulf of Maine fishing associations regarding BOEM’s recent announcement of Wind Energy Area. – March 2024
• Letter to BOEM regarding draft Wind Energy Area in the Gulf of Maine – November 16, 2023
• Letter to BOEM regarding commercial wind energy leasing in the Gulf of Maine – June 9, 2023
• Letter from New England Fishery Management Council, which CEO John Pappalardo serves on, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council regarding wind energy
• Letter of concern on the wind development process from Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, RODA – April, 2021

Fishermen’s Alliance involvement in OSW

• Fishermen’s Alliance is a member of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
• We are a member of the MA Fisheries Working Group on Offshore Wind Energy that is comprised of commercial fishermen, and representatives from different ports and sectors, recreational fishermen, scientists and state and federal agencies.
• Strategic Advisor on an offshore wind project in partnership with New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) and Gulf of Maine Research Institute. This project was funded by Department of Energy: “Fostering Capacity for Fishing Communities to Engage Effectively and Constructively in Offshore Wind Development in the Gulf of Maine”
  • Objective 1: Build the capacity of Gulf of Maine fishing communities to engage in offshore wind (OSW) development. This involves identifying fishing community needs, developing resources, and providing opportunities for informed participation and dialogue about OSW processes.
  • Objective 2: Enhance stakeholders’ ability to engage in discussions about community benefit agreements and power purchase agreements related to OSW development. This includes facilitating workshops to co-design future scenarios and developing strategies to ensure sustainable seafood harvesting and climate resilience for long-term fishing community success.
• Member of the Vineyard Wind Innovation Fund Advisory Panel.
  • Massachusetts Innovation Fund (also referred to as the Vineyard Wind Innovation Fund) provided as a part of Vineyard Wind’s Compensatory Mitigation Plan. The purpose of the Fund is to support programs and projects that ensure safe and profitable fishing continue as Vineyard Wind and future offshore wind projects are developed in the North Atlantic waters. The primary goals of the DMF innovation are to provide support to programs and projects through grants to:
    • Conduct studies on the impacts of offshore wind development on fishery resources and the recreational and commercial fishing industries.
    • Provide grants for technology and innovation upgrades for fishery participants (and vessels) actively fishing within a wind energy area.

Gulf of Maine Floating Offshore Wind: Auction is set for October 29, 2024

On September 16, 2024 the Interior Department announced the Final Sale Notice for the first offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine. The Final Sale Notice (FSN) published in the Federal Register on September 17, 2024.

For example here is a lease for OCS A-0564. For all leases please visit BOEM website here.

What does a lease do?

• Offers the exclusive right to the lessee to submit plans to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) that propose work on the lease.
  • Survey Plans, Site Assessment Plans (SAP), and Construction and Operation Plans (COPs)
  • NO construction authorization
• The lease is broken down into sections, highlights include:
  • Addendum A- location and activities
  • Addendum B – Lease Term and Financial Schedule
    • lease length, rent and operating payments
  • Addendum C – Lease Specific Terms, Conditions and Stipulations

Addendum C Highlights

• Reporting- Enhanced Engagement
  • Communciation Plans for fisheries, Tribes and agencies.
  • Progress Report required every 6 months providing:
    • Summary of engagement with all affected ocean users, Tribes, stakeholders (including underserved communities)
    • Efforts to invest or direct benefits to, OR avoid, minimize, or mitigate conflict with ocean users, Tribes, and stakeholders
    • Planned next steps to engage with ocean users, Tribes, and stakeholders
    • Progress reports will be posted on BOEM website

New or Modified Lease Stipulations

• Baseline Monitoring – NEW
  • New stipulation requiring 3 years of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) data collection within lease areas, including data standards and sharing requirements.
• Habitat Impact Minimization Measures- NEW
  • To maximum extent possible, lessee must avoid or minimize bottom-disturbing activities likely to be harmful to any identified sensitive resources (e.g., corals, sponges).
• Habitat Engagement Opportunities – NEW
  • Allows, BOEM to host meetings and require lessees to attend. Purpose would mainly be to introduce new lessees to Tribes, and stakeholders, explain next steps in the process, and minimize the engagement burden on those communities.
• Transmission Planning- NEW
  • To the extent practicable or feasible, lessee must consider the use of shared cable corridors, regional transmission sytsems, meshed systems, or other mechanisms for transmission facilities propose in a COP
• Surface Structure Layout and Orientation – MODIFIED
  • Only relevant for leases sharing a boundary (0562-63). Requires 2 common lines of orientation for navigation/search and rescue. If lessees fail to do that, they must incorporate a setback from the boundary. In response to comments, BOEM increased setback from 1 nm to 1.25 nm (2.5 nm total), and required no surface/subsurface occupancy in the setback area. Now matches conditions of corridors between southern lease areas.

Auction Format: 2 regions; 2 leases per bidder

• Bidder can only win 2 leases
  • 1 in the North, 1 in the South
  • or 2 in the South
  • can not win both lease areas in the North

Bidding Credits

• Maintain original proposal of offering two bidding credits, with minimal changes:
  • 12.5% bidding credit for a Workforce Training and/or Supply Chain Development
  • 12.5% bidding credit for a Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Fund