Offshore wind project passes first hurdle
Jul. 4—On Tuesday, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management closed its comment session for a proposed offshore wind farm along the Oregon Coast.
The comment period was set aside to allow people to share concerns and ask questions and also allowed companies interested in running wind farms to share their interest with the federal government.
One of the major call areas presented by BOEM is offshore from Coos Bay to Brookings, with potential wind turbines located at least 20 miles offshore.
One of the companies interested in possibly building a wind farm in the area is Deep Blue Pacific Wind, a joint venture between Total Energies and Simply Blue.
Peter Cogswell, director of government and external affairs, said Deep Blue hopes to one day run a wind farm off the coast.
"It's a group with some Oregon connections that continues to be excited about developing offshore wind off the Oregon Coast," Cogswell said. "We are going to be identifying specific areas in the Coos Bay and Brookings area we hope to get developed. We've tried to be very thoughtful in our comments and where we're trying to locate our areas."
Cogswell said Deep Blue understands there are concerns from many in the area, pointing specifically to commercial and residential fishermen as well as those concerned a wind farm could impact natural travel routes for sea animals and birds.
"It's important we understand the commercial fishing and even recreational fishing and even others users in the ocean," he said.
While BOEM closed the comment period this week, the offshore wind farm process is just beginning. After reviewing the comments, BOEM will narrow down the call areas and then issue a proposed sales notice. That will be followed by a final sales notice, and, potentially, an auction for interested companies to bid in the third quarter of 2023.
At that point, a multi-year environmental review will begin. Cogswell said under the timeline, wind farms will probably not be up and running before 2031.
"There's a lot of work to do to explore our sites and other sites out there," Cogswell said. "If everything goes without a hitch and the auction takes off next year, you're not looking for a project being up and energized until at least 2031."
The offshore wind areas BOEM has proposed could create 3 gigawatts of electricity each year. One gigawatt of power is enough to electrify 750,000 homes.
Cogswell said that much electricity could ease any strain on the system in the Pacific Northwest while moving the country a step closer to using renewable energy.
But getting there won't be easy. Locally, the key is working with local officials, businesses and people to find the right locations and ease the impact on others. Cogswell said Deep Blue is committed to doing that.
"It's imperative that you understand what's going on around the potential project location and the potential impact that may have," he said. "We're absolutely committed to doing that. The industry companies do need to reach out to the fishing companies and understand where they're coming from and their concerns."
Cogswell said while the coastal region of Oregon has great wind to create energy, he said the International Port of Coos Bay is also well aligned to host a wind farm.
"What our port study shows is that with some investment, there's a lot the port can contributed to an offshore wind project," he said. "In addition to the port infrastructure, you're looking for communities that have been open to economic development and infrastructure."
While Deep Blue is very interested in building an offshore wind farm, Cogswell said his company is not alone.
"There are others," he said. "We did that industry meeting back in May, and there were at least 10 companies that were interested in some level."
While Cogswell is primarily interested in offshore wind, he said he has been paying attention to the port's effort to bring in an intermodal shipping facility to Coos Bay.
"Our view is they certainly aren't exclusive to each other," Cogswell said. "They certainly can co-exist."
