The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management continues its long-term planning and is exploring opportunities for offshore wind, including expansion into U.S. territories. After opening the U.S. West Coast and Gulf Coast to initial lease auctions, the BOEM’s long-term plan includes areas in the Atlantic and Pacific, with Gaum being one possibility, along with expanding offshore wind in Hawaii.
BOEM reports that it continues to have discussions with stakeholders in the territories and predicts that first sales could occur as early as 2028. Last week, the first meeting of the BOEM-Hawaii Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Working Group was held after an eight-year hiatus, and the first meeting of the BOEM Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Working Group on Guam is scheduled for September 11.
The purpose of the task forces is to serve as a forum to discuss problems and concerns. According to BOEM, the meetings share data and information about biological, cultural and physical resources, ocean uses and priorities, and facilitate dialogue and collaboration to develop opportunities.
Efforts are more advanced in Hawaii, where a study on floating LiDAR systems was conducted east of the island of Oahu in 2022. BOEM reports that it first received unsolicited expressions of interest for offshore wind energy in Hawaii in 2016. This led to the formation of the task force and public exploratory meetings.
In July 2024, the Hawaii Regional Ports Assessment for Floating Offshore Wind was completed. The study analyzed the current and planned infrastructure of Hawaii’s ports to assess their ability to support the floating offshore wind industry and examined deployment scenarios to support the industry.
BOEM will use a similar model in Guam, where it says it has been in discussions with the local government. The task force’s first meeting will define the issues. The task force’s goal is to ensure that offshore wind plans are consistent with Guam’s sustainability goals, and also to help identify the most suitable areas for potential offshore wind leases.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 included provisions amending the Outer Continental Shelf Areas Act, which BOEM says allows for wind energy leasing in the U.S. territories.
BOEM says it is not only investigating opportunities in the Pacific, but also potential opportunities in the Caribbean. The office reports preliminary discussions with the government of Puerto Rico. There have also been initial contacts with the U.S. Virgin Islands.
