OCEAN WIND ADVANCES IN DELAWARE

NRG Energy gets lease for offshore Delaware project

Carl Levesque, Octtober 26, 2012 (Wind Energy Weekly)

“The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has reached agreement on a lease for commercial wind energy development in federal waters covering 96,430 acres that are located approximately 11 nautical miles off the coast of Delaware…

“The agreement marks the first lease completed under Interior’s “Smart from the Start” approach to facilitate environmentally responsible offshore wind development along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) by identifying wind energy areas in a coordinated, focused approach with extensive environmental analysis, public review and large-scale planning…”

“The lease grants NRG Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC the exclusive right to submit one or more plans to BOEM to conduct activities in support of wind energy development in the lease area. The company may submit a plan to conduct site assessment activities, such as the installation of a meteorological tower or meteorological buoy, as well as submit a construction and operations Plan (COP) to propose construction of the actual wind facility and cabling to shore.

“In its original project nomination, NRG Bluewater proposed a 450-MW project off the coast of Delaware, although ther project scope could change…The project’s path to completion, however, has been complicated by business factors…Late last year NRG cancelled the power purchase agreement with Delmarva Power for the project’s electricity…[and] decided not to continue with its offshore wind power business, which it acquired in 2008 with the purchase of Bluewater Wind…[but the new] lease will make the project all the more appealing to potential partners or buyers…”

Tweet