July 21 (Renewables Now) - The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is progressing towards potential offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico, saying it is seeking public comment on the identification of two draft wind energy areas (WEAs).

The first draft WEA is of 546,645 acres (221,219 ha) and sits about 24 nautical miles (nm) off the coast of Galveston, Texas. The other is of 188,023 acres and is located some 56 nm off the coast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The areas could power 2.3 million and 799,000 homes, respectively, BOEM estimates.

The two areas are a subset of the original 30-million-acre Gulf of Mexico Call Area announced for public comment in October 2021.

BOEM also said it has prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) covering the whole call area to review the potential impacts from site characterisation and site assessment activities that would follow lease issuance.

Public comments on both the draft areas and the draft EA can be provided over a 30-day period.

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