Map of wind energy resources near on the US east coast, made using data from a research by University of Delaware and Stanford researchers.

The US Department of Interior has issued five exploratory licenses for regions off the coasts of New Jersey and Delaware. These are the first ever federal leases for offshore wind power development given in the US, and they go to Deepwater Wind LLC, the Delaware and New Jersey susidiaries of Bluewater Wind LLC, and the New Jersey subsidiary of Fisherman's Energy LLC.

The leases authorize these companies to perform gathering activities, allowing construction and deployment of meteorological towers on the Outer Continental Shelf, at locations at 6 to 18 miles offshore. All data gathered this way will be shared with the Interior Department's Mineral Management Service, in order to help the agency future offshore wind power proposals.

The newly awarded exploratory leases will play a significant role in a number of proposed projects, including one off the Delaware coast, and four off the coast of New Jersey. Bluewater Wind proposed to build a 450 MW wind farm off the coast of Delaware, and another 350 MW wind farm off the coast of New Jersey. Other projects include a 330 MW wind farm proposed by Fisherman's Energy, and a 350 MW project proposed by Deepwater Wind and PSEG Renewable Generation. If everything develops according to plan, the offshore areas near New Jersey and Delaware are looking at almost 1500 MW of wind power capacity in the near future.