DLCD releases wind energy timeline

The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) released information regarding their review of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managements (BOEM), as part of its Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP).

The newly proposed federally designated Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) have been established off the coast of Coos Bay and Brookings. The Coos Bay WEA is 32 miles offshore and amounts to 95 square miles of potentially leasable land for turbine construction. The Brookings WEA is larger, at 209 square miles, yet closer to shore, at only 18 miles from the beach.

As part of a general federal consistency review, the OCMP staff maintains the authority to check the BOEM’s plans. Firstly, that the proposal is consistent with Oregon’s coastal zoning policies. Secondly, to gather feedback from the communities directly affected by these developments.

During these community meetings, OCMP will provide further information about their review process, its criteria, and the activity being reviewed. OCMP explains that in its current stage of the process, BOEM leases would only authorize companies to begin collecting data for potential wind development projects.

At current BOEM’s proposed leasing does not immediately permit the construction of any offshore wind projects. The current state of the proposal is quite a long way away from the full development of these WEA. Before BOEM can approve a Construction and Operations plan, it will be subject to its own federal consistency review which OCMP estimates could take, “some years of additional site assessment and project design”.

According to a timeline provided by OCMP, the BOEM leasing process is still in its early stages. The project was announced in April. A federal consistency review will take place through the summer, until the OCMP’s decision deadline on July 14, 2024. At that point BOEM will release its final environmental assessment, ahead of releasing a sales notice and holding an auction in the Fall. They expect to have granted leases by the end of 2024.

That is still just the beginning of the process, however. After acquiring the lease, hopeful developers still have a multi-year planning and review process they must adhere to. First they must release a Site Assessment Plan, subject to review from BOEM. That process is expected to take under a year.

Next, they must execute that Site Assessment through a multitude of impact surveys and other assessments including geophysical and biological studies of the area. That assessment is suspected to take multiple years to complete. After which BOEM will take up to another year to review the lessee’s Construction and Operations Plans.

All of this must occur before development plans can be approved and any ground, or seafloor, can be broken to start construction. Those with passionate opinions about the implementation of wind energy will still have a long time to have their voices heard.

To that end OCMP is hosting a series of town hall style meetings on the South Coast, with the goal of providing important information to local residents and hearing their feedback and opinions on the project. The remaining listed meetings are as follows if you wish to attend:

Newport: June 7, 2024, from 5:30-8:30 P.M. @ Newport High School

Those who wish to provide comments but are unable to attend any of the meetings can still do so. There is a 45-day window to submit. You can find more information and a way to submit written feedback here: https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/ocmp/pages/offshore-wind-energy-leasing.aspx