Federal government wants to lease coast between Florence and Reedsport for offshore wind

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
·3 min read

Offshore wind could be coming to southern Oregon's coast.

The Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management, the federal agency in charge of an initiative to find more sources of renewable energy, has identified two areas where it wants to lease wind-farm space in Oregon, one off the coast of Dunes City and one off the coast of Brookings.

According to the Portland Business Journal's analysis of the BOEM maps, area A would be approximately 32 miles offshore from Reedsport and area B would be 18 miles from Brookings.

Exact details of turbine size and power production will depend on the bids BOEM receives, but the agency produced visual mockups that "represent a commercially scaled, maximum density, and technically feasible scenario," projecting 74 turbines in the Florence/Reedsport area and 188 in the Brookings area which would each be 725 feet tall (measured by hub height) and generate 20 million watts per hour. There are not currently turbines that efficient, but BOEM projects there will be by the time projects are being built.

The proposed locations of wind farms off the coast of Oregon. BOEM outlined the areas in black earlier in the project. The agency has since narrowed to the areas highlighted in blue for the planned wind farm locations. Provided by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
The proposed locations of wind farms off the coast of Oregon. BOEM outlined the areas in black earlier in the project. The agency has since narrowed to the areas highlighted in blue for the planned wind farm locations. Provided by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

BOEM received more than 1,000 public comments on the proposal, most of them negative. Local residents and people with tourism interests voiced concern about harming views and ocean recreation. Tribes, fishing groups and environmentalists voiced concern about the wind farms hurting fish and wildlife.

"We recognize the potential of offshore wind power to help us move away from fossil fuels and address climate change issues. We are asking, however, that the siting of offshore facilities be carefully planned in a way that minimizes hazards to marine life and the rich marine ecosystem found off our coast," Debbie Schlenoff of the Lane Audubon Society told the Register-Guard.

The group has requested a reconsideration of specific areas to enhance protection for sea turtles, whales, birds, coral, and other wildlife, Schlenoff said, arguing more research needs to be done to identify species of concern and evaluate how they might be impacted.

BOEM selected the two areas after eliminating several others. Waters north of Florence were found to have less wind than the southern coast. An area between Port Orford and Bandon raised concerns about fish and habitat.

The five turbines of America's first offshore wind farm, owned by the Danish company, Orsted, stand off the coast of Block Island, R.I., Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
The five turbines of America's first offshore wind farm, owned by the Danish company, Orsted, stand off the coast of Block Island, R.I., Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.

Waters between Coos Bay and Reedsport were eliminated by the Department of Defense because the area "contains existing classified infrastructure and national security features that are incompatible with wind energy development."

Both areas are in BOEM's "phase 1," devoted to identifying the project area. Public comment has closed for this phase. For the next step, BOEM can modify the areas before progressing to "phase 2" of the four, where the agency identifies lessees.

The draft area off the coast of Lane County has received unsolicited applications from Avangrid, the American subsidiary of Spanish energy company Iberdrola; and Ocean Winds North America, a joint venture of Portuguese energy company Energias de Portugal and French energy company Engie.

Offshore wind across the U.S.

BOEM has been pursuing offshore wind projects in 20 states. Many of them are further along than in Oregon and have had received mixed reactions.

The federal government most recently approved a contract for offshore wind off the East Coast in Long Branch, New York. One project is going through survey work in Bald Head Island, North Carolina. A proposal for projects near the coast of Maine was endorsed by its state legislature, which demanded an increase in clean energy production. A proposal in Ocean City, Maryland has received community pushback, primarily over potential harm to fish, but was endorsed by the state legislature.

Two of BOEM's largest, furthest-along and most controversial projects have been on the coasts of southern New Jersey and southern New England.

A visitor to the Oregon Coast stands on Heceta Head north of Florence.
A visitor to the Oregon Coast stands on Heceta Head north of Florence.

The New Jersey offshore wind was approved in July and has been criticized for allegedly killing whales. Experts say there's no evidence the whale deaths were caused by the wind projects.

Residents of Nantucket, Massachusetts unsuccessfully sued to block wind projects there, citing harm to whales. Residents of Newport, Rhode Island, have a pending lawsuit to block wind turbines there, saying they would interfere with the historic-designated area.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on twitter @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Offshore wind may be coming to Florence area