Abstract
Offshore wind (OSW) energy planning efforts in the southeast region of the United States (US) catalyzed the need for data development to inform in-progress spatial analyses for OSW leases and transmission of energy to shore-based facilities. To address this need, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), convened a marine spatial planning workshop in Beaufort, North Carolina on April 9th and 10th, 2024 [Federal Register Notice (89 FR 20638)]. This technical memorandum documents the outcomes of this two-day event.
NCCOS and BOEM are working around the nation to build spatial planning capacity, improve digital ocean intelligence and foster sustained community engagement as the New Blue Economy evolves. Marine spatial planning holds great promise to assist coastal managers, environmental organizations, academia, tribes, and industry with planning for future coastal and offshore development, including renewable energy. This workshop created a collaborative environment where participants could:
- Learn more about NOAA’s marine spatial planning approaches and activities
- Inventory available spatial data for Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina
- Document the best available data and identify data gaps
- Increase local capacity and resources for regional ocean spatial planning
- Further develop an engaged community to inform future marine planning efforts
The workshop began with an overview of NOAA’s marine spatial planning process and a description of how spatial suitability modeling informs BOEM’s OSW lease planning process. Over the course of the two-day event, NOAA presented a summary of known available data for seven distinct ocean sectors. Participants discussed positive attributes and, conversely, any issues or challenges associated with the data layers for each sector, then helped identify additional data sets and leads to acquire this data. At the conclusion of the workshop, the group discussed key takeaways and next steps.