NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

July 16, 2010
Vol. 40, No. 245

Contact: Phil Cherry, DNREC Administrator, 302-739-9068.

Offshore renewable energy task force
 updates members on wind proposals

Delaware this week hosted the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement’s (BOEM) offshore renewable energy task force meeting. BOEM used the meeting to update state and federal agencies and members of the task force on comments received pursuant to a Request for Interest (RFI) published by BOEM last April. The RFI was issued to solicit proposals from offshore wind developers for offshore wind farms and to receive comments from federal agencies and others on possible concerns with offshore development. Pursuant to the RFI, proposals were received by BOEM from two off-shore wind developers, NRG’s Bluewater Wind and Occidental Development & Equities LLC of Bayonne, N.J., and the next steps in the approval process.  

BOEM – formerly known as the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) – issues leases, easements, and rights-of-way for orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible renewable energy development activities, such as the siting and construction of offshore wind facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf. 

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara serves as chair of the Delaware BOEM Task Force. “Offshore wind represents an incredible opportunity for Delaware to improve the health of its environment and strengthen its economy,” Secretary O’Mara said. “The conversations this week have highlighted for us the need to work closely with federal agencies to proactively address potential marine shipping issues, marine mammal and fisheries impacts, and national security interests as we advance through the state and federal permitting processes.”

Delaware is a national leader in planning to add offshore renewable energy to its portfolio of power generation resources, and is widely considered to be the likely home of the first or one of the first offshore wind development projects in federal waters in North America.

Since the Delaware General Assembly passed House Bill 6 in April 2006 directing Delmarva Power to contract with new power resources to guarantee a stable process for electricity, Delaware has achieved a number of milestones, including:  

• NRG’s Bluewater Wind project that has met, ahead of schedule, the state’s existing Renewable Portfolio Standard requirement that 20 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2019.
• The General Assembly’s amendment to the renewable Portfolio Standard requiring that 20 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2019.
• The selection of Bluewater Wind LLC’s proposal to construct an offshore wind facility in response to Delmarva Power’s November 2006 Request for Proposals for new electricity generation capacity.
• The execution of a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement in July 2008 between Delmarva Power and Bluewater Wind LLC for 200 megawatts of power from an offshore wind facility proposed on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore of Rehoboth Beach.
• Delaware became the first state in the nation to host a federal offshore renewable energy task force meeting in October 2009.
• Delaware is coordinating with other mid-Atlantic states on off-shore energy transmission
  planning.
• Delaware also is participating in the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Off-shore Energy Consortium and has signed an agreement with the DOI and 10 other coastal states to expedite the permitting process for offshore wind.
• Delaware’s Task Force comprises federal representatives from BOEM; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); the Army Corps of Engineers; and the U.S. Coast Guard and state representatives from DNREC; the Department of State; the Governor’s Office; the Public Service Commission; the Comptroller Generals’ Office;  the Office of Management and Budget; the University of Delaware; local governmental representatives from Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches; the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware; and the Nanticoke Indian Tribe.