Three potential wind energy areas off the North Carolina coast have gotten the go ahead from the U.S. Bureau of Energy Management (BOEM). The approval follows completion of an environmental review.

The environmental review found there would be no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts. Source: wikimedia.orgThe environmental review found there would be no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts from issuing wind energy leases within the three areas, which are located near Kitty Hawk and Wilmington. In all, the areas looked at by BOEM cover about 307,000 acres.

A 2009 study by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill found that the winds off North Carolina’s coast carry a significant potential for energy production. In February, a North Carolina environmental official sent a letter to BOEM warning that putting turbines too near the coast could hurt tourism in the area. He asked that no leases be issued within 24 nautical miles of the coastline.