Wind Turbines Slated for OR Coast by Coos Bay, Brookings?
The Federal Government's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (an arm of the Department of Interior) has announced two areas, or blocks, of ocean space off the Oregon coast, will be open to auction for leases, for the purpose of installing wind turbine farms.
Two floating offshore projects are planned
The two lots will be listed in the Federal Register (public notification) and the leases will be bid for on October 15th of this year.
According to the BOEM, the two areas are:
"Lease Area P-OCS 0566 (Coos Bay) consists of 61,203 acres and is approximately 32 miles from shore. Lease Area P-OCS 0567 (Brookings) consists of 133,792 acres and is around 18 miles from shore. "
The lease process, while listing a mountain of paperwork the lease must go through, does not specify how many turbines will be located there. It is presumed there will be a number when actual proposals are generated.
It's interesting to note that based on research from other offshore turbine farms, they can be seen from shore even at a distance of up to 26 miles, and nighttime can be seen with the average unaided eye (no binoculars or telescope) up to 24 miles from shore. There are also research reports indicating turbines can be seen on land up to 36 miles away, depending on the viewpoint.
While the Coos Bay project is slated for 32 miles offshore, the Brookings is only 18, so it would clearly be visible. Brookings is on the southern OR coast, near the CA border.
According to BOEM, if the projects are completed as planned, they will provide enough electricity to power 1 million homes. Similar bidding lease processes have or are taking place for locations just off the Mid-Atlantic and Coast of Maine.
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