U.S. to auction leasing rights offshore NY for wind energy development
Source: By Within Prasad, Reuters • Posted: Friday, October 28, 2016
The U.S. government on Thursday announced a Dec. 15 auction for the leasing rights to develop wind energy off the coast of New York as part of the Obama administration’s push to create jobs through renewable energy.
The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will auction the rights to 79,350 acres or about 125 square miles (325 square kilometers) in federal waters. Fourteen companies are eligible to participate in the lease sale, the agencies said.
The New York Wind Energy Area starts about 11.5 nautical miles from Jones Beach, a state park on a barrier island linked to Long Island.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has awarded 11 commercial wind leases through nine auctions that have generated $16 million.
(Reporting by Nithin Prasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)