AGENCY ACTIONS: BOEM

Offshore Wind Projects

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead federal agency authorized to issue leases, easements, and rights of way to allow for renewable energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The four distinct phases of BOEM’s renewable energy program are shown below on this page. Other entities, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and states, also have roles in the development and permitting process, which is beyond the scope of this web page.

The table below provides access to information about operational and proposed offshore wind energy projects from Maine to North Carolina. Links lead to BOEM’s web pages for the projects and to the Portal’s maps of lease areas and any available project-specific data. Offshore wind project data layers are also accessible in the Data Explorer under Energy & Infrastructure, and source data are accessible on the Get Data page.

Status of Offshore Wind Projects

PROJECT NAME: Link to BOEM web page with project details and public meeting information. LEASE NUMBER: Link to Data Explorer map of lease area. PROJECT LOCATION: Link to Data Explorer map of available data on existing or proposed project footprint, cable route(s), and/or turbine locations.

Project Name

Lease NUMBER

Lessee / Parent Company

Status / Public Comment

Project Location

Block Island Wind Farm

State lease

Deepwater Wind New England  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc.

Operation

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind – Pilot OCS-A 0497

Virginia Department of Energy

Operation

South Fork Wind Farm OCS-A 0517

South Fork Wind  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc. & Eversource

Operation

Vineyard Wind 1 OCS-A 0501

Vineyard Wind 1  LLC / Avangrid Renewables LLC & Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Ocean Wind 1 OCS-A 0498

Ocean Wind  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc. & PSEG

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Revolution Wind OCS-A 0486

Revolution Wind  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc. & Eversource

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind – Commercial OCS-A 0483

Virginia Electric and Power Company

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 OCS-A 0512

Empire Offshore Wind  LLC / Equinor Wind US

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Sunrise Wind OCS-A 0487

Sunrise Wind  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc. & Eversource

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

New England Wind 1 OCS-A 0534

Park City Wind LLC

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

New England Wind 2 OCS-A 0561

Commonwealth Wind LLC

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Atlantic Shores South OCS-A 0499

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Projects 1 & 2 LLCs / Shell New Energies US LLC & EDF Renewables North America

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

MarWin and Momentum Wind (Maryland Offshore Wind) OCS-A 0490

US Wind  Inc

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Maine Research Array (State of Maine Research Lease) OCS-A 0553

State of Maine / Pine Tree Offshore Wind LLC

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

SouthCoast Wind OCS-A 0521

SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC / Ocean Winds & Shell

Environmental Review and Permitting Complete

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind South (Kitty Hawk North) OCS-A 0559

Kitty Hawk Wind, LLC (Dominion Energy)

BOEM NOI

Kitty Hawk South OCS-A 0508

Avangrid Renewables

BOEM NOI

Atlantic Shores North OCS-A 0549

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC

BOEM NOI

Vineyard Wind 2 (Vineyard Northeast) OCS-A 0522

Vineyard Northeast LLC

BOEM NOI

Beacon Wind OCS-A 0520

Beacon Wind  LLC / BP

BOEM Draft EA for additional site assessment

Bay State Wind / Starboard Wind OCS-A 0500

Bay State Wind  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc. & Eversource

COP Submitted

Skipjack Wind OCS-A 0482 and OCS-A 0519

GSOE LLC / Orsted North America Inc. & PSEG and Skipjack Offshore Energy LLC / Orsted North America Inc.

COP Submitted

Garden State Offshore Energy OCS-A 0482

GSOE  LLC / Orsted North America  Inc. & PSEG

SAP Approved

Excelsior Wind (Vineyard Mid-Atlantic, LLC) OCS-A 0544

Vineyard Mid-Atlantic LLC

NY Bight Final PEIS

Leading Light Wind (Invenergy Wind) OCS-A 0542

Invenergy Wind Offshore LLC

NY Bight Final PEIS

Atlantic Offshore Wind OCS-A 0541

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Bight LLC

NY Bight Final PEIS

Community Offshore Wind OCS-A 0539

Community Offshore Wind LLC

NY Bight Final PEIS

Attentive Energy One OCS-A 0538

Attentive Energy LLC

NY Bight Final PEIS

Bluepoint Wind OCS-A 0537

Bluepoint Wind LLC

NY Bight Final PEIS

Ocean Wind 2 OCS-A 0532

Orsted North America  Inc

TotalEnergies Carolina Long Bay, LLC OCS-A 0545

TotalEnergies Renewables USA LLC

Cinergy Corp OCS-A 0546

Cinergy Corp

Last edit: January 10, 2025

Other BOEM Offshore Wind Atlantic Planning Updates

Last edit: August 8, 2025

For more detail about BOEM’s renewable energy program phases, see BOEM’s Renewable Energy Regulatory Framework and Guidelines.

The first phase involves planning and analysis to identify the most appropriate sites for renewable energy leasing and development activities. This phase involves federally recognized tribes, other federal agencies, states, local governments, and includes mechanisms for public input. Steps in this phase could include:

  • Intergovernmental Task Force
  • Request for Information or Call for Information and Nominations
  • Area Identification. This can include unsolicited bids.
  • Environmental Reviews

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that BOEM issue leases and grants on a competitive basis, unless it determines that there is no competitive interest in the proposed lease or grant. When only one developer has indicated interest in developing a given site, BOEM may issue a lease or grant noncompetitively. If multiple developers express interest in leasing a given site, then BOEM proceeds with a competitive leasing process, which may ultimately result in a lease sale or auction. In either case, there are multiple opportunities for public involvement in the activities in this phase. In practice, all leases issued in the Northeast have been competitive.

  • Publish leasing notices
  • Conduct auction or negotiate lease terms
  • Issue lease(s)

Once a lease or grant is issued, lessees have 12 months to submit a Site Assessment Plan (SAP) to BOEM that describes how they will characterize the area (e.g., conduct resource assessments, install meteorological towers or buoys). SAPs pertain to the entire lease area. After site assessment, developers often publicly announce their intent to build a project within the lease area and choose a project name. At this time, they might also begin negotiating with utility companies, states, and other entities to secure support for the project.

  • Site characterization
  • Site assessment plan

This phase includes the formal submission of a plan to construct a specific offshore wind energy facility within a lease area, the environmental review of the proposed project by BOEM with cooperating and participating agencies (includes federal and state) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the actual construction of a facility. This phase includes several steps that span many years and include public meetings and comment periods (*indicates formal public comment opportunity):

  • COP Submitted – developer submits Construction and Operations Plan (COP)
    After BOEM approves the COP, maps showing the proposed footprint and potential layout of the project will become available on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal.
  • BOEM NOI – BOEM publishes a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (*)
  • BOEM DEIS – BOEM issues a Draft Environmental Impact Statement(*)
  • BOEM FEIS – BOEM issues a Final Environmental Impact Statement
  • BOEM ROD – BOEM issues a Record of Decision
  • Construction
  • Operation
  • Decommissioning

The Northeast Ocean Data Portal Working Group would like to gratefully acknowledge the valuable contributions of Josh Wadlington in discussing, developing, and reviewing offshore wind data and information with us over the past several years.

References

BOEM, 2016. A Citizen’s Guide to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Renewable Energy Authorization Process. https://www.boem.gov/KW-CG-Broch/

BOEM 2020. Renewable Energy: Regulatory Framework and Guidelines. https://www.boem.gov/Regulatory-Framework/

BOEM 2020. Renewable Energy: State Activities. https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-State-Activities/

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