Offshore wind and ocean energy testing

In November 2007, the Minerals Management Service (MMS), renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) as of 18 June 2010, proposed allowing short-term leases for offshore testing areas and requested detailed information from parties wishing to obtain such leases. In response, the agency received more than 40 nominations for research projects. In May 2008, the MMS designated five areas on the Outer Continental Shelf for testing new energy technologies related to wind power, wave energy, and ocean currents. The five areas are located off the coasts of California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey. The agency is proposing limited, temporary leases in these areas for data collection and technology testing, and commercial energy production will not be allowed. Of the 40 nominations for research projects received in 2007, 16 could potentially go forward within the five priority areas. Ten of those proposed projects are related to wind energy and would be located in the areas offshore New Jersey, Delaware and Georgia. Four proposals offshore Florida would be related to ocean current energy, and two off Northern California would be related to wave energy. The remaining nominations are still being considered by BOEMRE, and decisions will be based on the proposed projects viability.

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