US making strides towards offshore wind round in Guam

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the publication of a call for information and nominations for possible wind energy leasing off the coast of Guam.

This call will gather public comments to inform potential leasing areas. Guam aims to generate 50% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2035 and 100% by 2045.

The 90-day comment period starts today and ends on April 7. During that time, the public can submit relevant information on site conditions, marine resources, and ocean uses near or within the call area. Concurrently, wind energy companies can nominate specific areas they would like to see offered for leasing.

The call requests information on one contiguous area around the island comprising around 8,500 sq km some 5.5 km from shore at its closest points, in water depths ranging from approximately 350 to 2,200 meters.

During the comment period, BOEM will engage with Indigenous peoples, stakeholder organisations, ocean users, federal agencies, the Government of Guam, and other parties to identify conflicts early in the process as BOEM seeks to identify areas where offshore wind development would have the least impact.

If BOEM receives commercial interest in wind leasing offshore Guam, the next step will be to identify wind energy areas for leasing consideration within the larger call area. That will be followed by environmental reviews after which BOEM may propose one or more competitive lease sales for areas within the WEAs.