The Obama administration has identified more than 300,000 acres offshore of North Carolina for potential wind-energy development in a step toward issuing the first commercial leases there, reports The Charlotte Observer.
North Carolina has the nation’s highest offshore wind resources, according to a 2010 federal study.
The three areas, totaling 307,000 acres, were selected from a much larger 1.2 million acres for which the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began soliciting developer interest and public comment in late 2012.
Five companies have expressed interest in developing wind projects off North Carolina.