BOEM takes action to start public comment period for Kitty Hawk

The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said today it has published a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) with regard to the Kitty Hawk wind project off the coast of North Carolina.

Publishing the NOI in the Federal Register opens a 30-day public comment period that will run through August 30, 2021. BOEM said it will be hosting three virtual scoping meetings during that period to provide more information about the project.

The agency will review a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) that was submitted by project developer Kitty Hawk Wind LLC and envisages the installation of up to 69 turbines. The plan revolves around the development, construction and operation of an offshore wind farm off the coast of North Carolina, with export cables connecting to the onshore electric grid in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

If realised, the Kitty Hawk project will contribute towards each of the two states’ offshore wind goals. More specifically, North Carolina targets 2.8 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 8 GW by 2040, while Virginia aims for 5.2 GW by 2034.

The renewables unit of Avangrid Inc (NYSE:AGR), which is part of Spanish energy group Iberdrola SA (BME:IBE), won the 122,405-acre (49,540-ha) wind development area offshore Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 2017. Last December, Avangrid Renewables LLC announced it had submitted the COP for the 800-MW first phase of the 2.5-GW project.

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