By Brian Gilliland

BETHANY BEACH — Delaware’s department of natural resources is holding a public information session about a potential lease at 3Rs Beach near the Indian River Inlet Bridge to allow underground cables to transmit power from offshore wind turbines on Tuesday at Bethany Beach Town Hall.

The agency cautioned the 3-7 p.m. self-guided information session would not be collecting input about the turbines themselves, or other possible parts of transmission lines, as these could be part of a separate permitting process.

“US Wind’s proposal to bring transmission lines ashore in Delaware, along with Governor John Carney’s announcement about negotiating a potential lease, have generated considerable public interest,” DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin said in a release. “While the formal permitting process is ongoing, this public engagement event provides us an opportunity to share how this discrete portion of project will impact recreational aspects at the park.”

In December, according to a statement by the agency, Gov. Carney announced formal negotiations for the potential lease of land at 3Rs Beach for transmission lines from its MarWin and Momentum Wind projects.

The construction plan, as well as ideas for what the viewshed will look like once construction is completed, are expected to be on display.

State parks and recreation staff are expected to be available to answer questions.

“While the scope of this event is limited to sharing information about the impact of recreational activities at the park and, specifically, the parking lot where construction is anticipated to be taking place, we believe park visitors will benefit from the information being presented,” Ray Bivens, director of parks and recreation, said.

Visitors will be able to browse informational posters showing the existing parking area that will be impacted, inground-infrastructure, impact during construction, the proposed construction area and any anticipated restrictions on recreational access during the construction period, according to the agency.

“We applaud DNREC for offering this opportunity for the public to learn more about our proposal to bring clean energy to Delaware’s shores,” Nancy Sopko, director of external affairs for US Wind, said. “Offshore wind will help to lower electricity bills for the people of Delaware and will improve air quality across the state by reducing our reliance on burning fossil fuels.”

The timeline and Web addresses for related future public meetings, as well as how and where to sign up for public notices and press releases, will also be available.

According to DNREC, the US Wind Projects are currently going through a federal permitting process, separate from any state process, and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is currently considering input from a recent public comment process on the project’s environmental impact. Should the projects proceed, state environmental permits will also be required.

“US Wind plans to deliver a massive amount of clean energy directly into the electric grid in Delaware and that direct link means a lot of benefits locally. We look forward to working with the people of Delaware as we progress these plans,” Ms. Sopko said.

The MarWin and Momentum Wind projects are expected to install up to 121 offshore turbines.

Staff writer Brian Gilliland can be reached at 410-603-3737 or bg@iniusa.org.