The federal government has set a date of Oct. 29 to auction ocean leases for offshore wind farms off the Outer Cape, and the number of acres to be auctioned is smaller than previously proposed.
The eight lease areas now total just over 850,000 acres, a reduction of about 12 percent since this summer’s public meeting in Eastham.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it made the change in response to comments from various sources, including the fishing industry, the U.S. Coast Guard, navigation interests, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Habitat for coral and North Atlantic right whales were among the concerns the bureau identified as contributing to its decision, along with fishing concerns regarding herring and groundfish.
Fourteen companies have qualified to bid in the October auction. The winners can pursue federal permits for offshore wind farms.
The Biden administration says the wind area could power more than 4.5 million homes.
The reduction in acreage does not change the wind area’s distance from the eastern shore of Cape Cod — about 25 miles.
At the size of large offshore wind turbines commercially available today, the area could hold roughly 900 turbines.
Turbine capacity has increased as newer, larger models come to market.
