Abstract
This report supplements the Kitty Hawk North Wind Construction and Operations Plan.
Kitty Hawk Wind, LLC (the Company) is proposing to develop offshore wind power in the northwest portion of the OCS-A 0508 Lease Area, hereafter referred to as the “Wind Development Area”. The Wind Development Area is located 44 km offshore of Corolla, North Carolina, in the portion of the Lease Area closest to shore. The offshore components of the Project, including the wind turbine generators (WTGs), an electrical service platform (ESP), and inter-array cables, will be located in federal waters within the Wind Development Area, while the export cable corridor will pass through federal and state waters landing in Virginia Beach, VA.
The Company initiated an assessment of potential effects on birds and bats from offshore components of the Project to support the Construction and Operations Plan (COP). The goal of the assessment is to provide a detailed analysis of the bird and bat species that may be exposed to each of the Project components, and to describe potential impacts to those species at the population and, where necessary, species or individual level. This assessment was developed to meet COP guidance, provide information for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, and support cooperating agency consultations. For each development phase, the assessment first described impact-producing factors, the species that would potentially be exposed to the impact-producing factors, and the vulnerability of the species exposed.
The offshore components of the Project are unlikely to impact bat populations. While some individual cave-hibernating bats may occur within the Wind Development Area during operation of the Project, and will be vulnerable to collision with operating WTGs, the exposure of cavehibernating bats (including northern long-eared bat and state-listed species) to operating WTGs is expected to be minimal to low given their distance from shore. Migratory tree bats may occur in the Wind Development Area; however, this is expected to include low numbers of individuals given the Wind Development Area’s distance from shore.
The offshore components of the Project are unlikely to impact bat populations. While some individual cave-hibernating bats may occur within the Wind Development Area during operation of the Project, and will be vulnerable to collision with operating WTGs, the exposure of cavehibernating bats (including northern long-eared bat and state-listed species) to operating WTGs is expected to be minimal to low given their distance from shore. Migratory tree bats may occur in the Wind Development Area; however, this is expected to include low numbers of individuals given the Wind Development Area’s distance from shore.