Next month, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is holding a public auction seminar and public information meeting on offshore wind development in North Carolina.
On Aug. 12, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper announced a proposed sale notice (PSN) and request for interest (RFI) for 122,405 acres offshore North Carolina.
The PSN and RFI request that any prospective bidders already qualified for commercial wind energy development offshore North Carolina affirm their continued interest, and any prospective bidders that have not been qualified by BOEM submit the required qualification material. In addition, they seek public comments on BOEM’s proposal to auction the lease area.
The comment period closes on Oct. 17. Comments received or postmarked by then will be made available to the public and considered before the publication of the final sale notice, which will announce the time and date of the lease sale.
On Sep. 20 from 12:30-3:30 p.m., BOEM will host a public auction seminar to describe the auction format, explain the auction rules and demonstrate the auction process. The event will take place at the Julia Jones Daniel Center for Community Leadership at 711 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh, N.C.
On Sept. 21, BOEM will host a public information meeting to provide an overview of recent leasing and planning efforts for North Carolina, an introduction of the PSN and RFI, and an overview of BOEM’s environmental review process. This seminar will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Jennette’s Pier at 7223 South Virginia Dare Trail in Nags Head, N.C.
