The US government has announced a proposed sale for offshore wind development on the Outer Continental Shelf in the New York Bight, making it the first competitive offshore wind lease sale for the Biden-Harris administration.

The proposed lease areas, located in the shallow waters between Long Island and the New Jersey coast, have the potential to unlock over 7 GW of offshore wind energy, powering more than 2.6m homes and supporting thousands of new jobs.

“Today’s announcement of new proposed lease stipulations puts a priority on creating and sustaining good-paying union jobs as we build a clean energy economy,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

Today’s announcement builds upon recent milestones from the Biden-Harris administration to advance offshore wind developments off Massachusetts, California and wind power plays in the Gulf of Mexico.

A proposed sale notice, with a 60-day public comment period, includes eight lease areas in the New York Bight that could be auctioned for commercial wind energy development.

The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is also seeking feedback on several innovative lease stipulations that will reaffirm its commitment to create good-paying union jobs and engage with all stakeholders and ocean users.