The first offshore wind turbine is installed at the South Fork Wind project offshore New York. Photo courtesy New York State
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed a comprehensive environmental review, evaluating potential wind development activities across six lease areas in the New York Bight, an offshore region spanning more than 488,000 acres near New York and New Jersey.
The review marks a significant milestone in the U.S. offshore wind industry, with BOEM estimating that full development of these lease areas could generate up to 7 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy—enough to power approximately two million homes.
BOEM’s Regional Approach
BOEM’s environmental assessment is the first of its kind, taking a regional approach to analyze the cumulative impacts of wind development activities across multiple lease areas. The programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) identifies measures to avoid, minimize, mitigate, and monitor (AMMM) potential impacts, laying the foundation for future project-specific environmental reviews.
“BOEM has collected input from Tribes, Federal and state government agencies, local communities, ocean users, and key stakeholders as part of our comprehensive environmental review,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We appreciate the feedback we have received, and we believe our regional approach will provide a solid baseline for future environmental reviews for any proposed offshore wind projects in the New York Bight.”
The PEIS process also included public engagement through five meetings and eight regional environmental justice forums. BOEM received over 1,500 comments, which helped shape the final PEIS, set to be published on October 25, 2024. The final document includes 58 Avoidance, Minimization, Mitigation, and Monitoring Measures (AMMM) aimed at reducing environmental impacts, with eight being newly proposed specifically for this effort.
Historic New York Bight Lease Sale
The New York Bight area became the focus of attention in February 2022, when BOEM hosted a record-breaking offshore wind lease auction that brought in over $4.3 billion. Six companies secured rights to develop the wind energy areas after 64 rounds of competitive bidding, making it the highest-grossing U.S. offshore energy lease sale in history—surpassing even the most lucrative offshore oil and gas lease auctions.
Among the winning bids, Bight Wind Holdings, LLC, led by RWE Renewables, won the largest lease area with a $1.1 billion bid. Other notable winners include OW Ocean Winds East, LLC, and Attentive Energy LLC, who collectively contributed to the groundbreaking total.
A Turning Point for U.S. Offshore Wind
The completion of BOEM’s environmental review comes at a critical time for U.S. offshore wind development. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has approved more than 15 GW of clean energy from offshore wind projects—enough to power over 5.25 million homes. These initiatives are part of the administration’s goal of reaching 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, part of broader push to meet the nation’s climate goals and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
For New York, the completion of the environmental review marks another milestone in its offshore wind development, as the state aims to build 9,000 megawatts (9 gigawatts) of offshore wind capacity by 2035.
In July 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the commencement of construction on the state’s largest offshore wind project, Sunrise Wind, developed by Ørsted. The 924-megawatt project will consist of 84 wind turbines and is expected to power 600,000 homes upon completion in 2026.
This project follows the successful development of Ørsted’s South Fork Wind off Montauk, New York, America’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, which became operational earlier this year. These efforts, alongside the transformation of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into an offshore wind hub, demonstrate New York’s commitment to becoming a leader in offshore wind energy.
What’s Next for Offshore Wind in the New York Bight?
With BOEM’s environmental review complete, attention now shifts to the individual development plans for each of the six lease areas.
The “Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Expected Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight” will be officially published in the Federal Register on October 25, 2024. This milestone will serve as the foundation for the next phase of offshore wind development, ensuring environmental sustainability while harnessing the immense energy potential of the New York Bight.
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