A lease in the RI/MA Wind Energy Area will have a preliminary term of 6 months in which to submit a Site Assessment Plan to BOEM. A Site Assessment Plan describes the activities (e.g., installation of meteorological towers and buoys) a lessee plans to perform for the assessment of the wind resources and ocean conditions of its commercial lease.
After a Site Assessment Plan is approved, the lessee will have up to 4 and 1/2 years in which to submit a Construction and Operations Plan, which provides a detailed plan for the construction and operation of a wind energy project on the lease. After a Construction and Operations Plan is approved, the lessee will have an operations term of 25 years.