Virginia’s Department of Mines Minerals and Energy has submitted a request to a federal agency to conduct wind energy research activities in an offshore wind area off Virginia Beach. The research would include installation of two meteorological and ocean monitoring platforms to collect data on wind velocities, water levels, waves, and bird and bat activities.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the unsolicited request Thursday and said it would seek public comment on the proposal.
BOEM will publish a notice in the Federal Register on Friday, Dec. 21, to get input on theproposal, its potential environmental consequences and the use of the area in which the proposed project would be located. BOEM also is asking whether there are federal agencies or state entities interested in obtaining a research lease within the same area identified by Virginia’s Mines, Minerals and Energy agency.
Publication in the Federal Register will open a 30-day public comment period, which ends on Jan 22.
The request follows last month’s announcement by BOEM to auction a commercial lease in the 112,800 acres that form the Wind Energy Area offshore Virginia.
There are no comments for this entry