Assessment of Chemicals Associated with Offshore Wind Facilities and Potential Environmental Impacts on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

The overall objective of this study was to analyze the potential impacts of oil and chemical releases from wind energy facilities in the Atlantic OCS. For all modeling areas, the average most-probable discharge (AMPD) for diesel oil was scored as low relative risk for all resource categories and simulations. The AMPD relative risk scores reflect the low APMD spill volume of 3.8 m3 but with a higher spill probability. These kinds of spills from offshore wind energy facilities will, in general, have minimal potential impacts to ecological and socioeconomic resources, with the exception of the potential risk of shoreline oiling from spills of petroleum hydraulic fluids and synthetic oils. The maximum most-probable discharge (MMPD) higher relative risk scores reflect the larger volumes of oils with sufficient dissolved oil components that could impact water column resources, that are more persistent on the water surface, and that could contaminate tens to hundreds of kilometers of shorelines above thresholds. The worst-case discharge volumes and oils included in these analyses was scored as medium or high relative risk, but it was not always scored with a higher relative risk compared to the MMPD because of the lower probability of these larger spills.

USD: $228,219

2023-06-28 → 2025-06-27