Oregon’s offshore area could feature windmills in the future
By Terry Murry on Friday, August 30th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eastern Oregonians relish trips to the Oregon coast. Now the U.S. Department of the Interior says the view offshore could be changing. Two areas off the southern coast will be auctioned off for wind energy sites on Oct. 15 by the Bureau of Ocean Management.
If fully developed, the two locations could generate more than 3.1 gigawatts of electricity which could power about 1 million homes.
“The advancement of the first offshore wind sale in Oregon marks years of engagement with state partners, Tribes, ocean users, and industry,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is quoted as saying in a prepared statement.
The department has already approved the nation’s first nine commercial-scale offshore wind projects and held five offshore wind lease sales. It has also advanced the process to establish additional wind energy areas in the Gulf of Maine.
The final sale notice for the Oregon areas will be published in the Federal Register on Sept. 3. One area off Coos Bay consists of 61,203 acres and is about 32 miles offshore. The other area around Brookings consists of 133,792 acres and is about 18 miles from shore.
The department states that the issuance of any lease would not constitute an approval of project-specific plans. Such plans, when submitted, would be “subject to subsequent environmental, technical, and public reviews prior to a decision on whether the development should be authorized.
Graphic from the Bureau of Ocean Management
