Date: 8/7/2014

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it is proceeding with competitive commercial wind energy leasing offshore North Carolina, having defined three Wind Energy Areas (WEAs): Kitty Hawk (approximately 122,405 acres), Wilmington West (approximately 51,595 acres), and Wilmington East (approximately 133,590 acres).

All three WEAs will be considered for leasing and approval of Site Assessment Plans as the proposed action under the National Environmental Policy Act. The WEAs are smaller than the areas originally proposed; according to BOEM officials, they "worked closely with federal, state, local, and industry stakeholders to avoid existing high-use and sensitive resource areas while maximizing areas for offshore wind development."