US puts off Oregon offshore wind auction

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is delaying the offshore wind energy auction planned for potential lease areas offshore Oregon citing insufficient bidder interest.

The auction, initially set for October 15, included two lease areas offshore Oregon with Avangrid Renewables, BlueFloat Energy, Ocean Winds, South Coast Energy, and Mainstream Renewable Power qualified to participate in the sale.

However, out of the five companies, BOEM received only one bidding interest following growing opposition from Oregon tribes, fishermen and coastal residents.

The wind farms, if fully developed, have been estimated at 3.1 GW of renewable energy, enough to power 1m homes.

“In determining a future opportunity for a potential lease sale, BOEM will continue to collaborate with representatives from federal, state and local agencies and Tribal governments, to coordinate on potential leasing and support ongoing stakeholder engagement processes on broader offshore wind considerations, such as the state-led development of a strategic roadmap for offshore wind,” BOEM said in a statement.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the US approved the first ten commercial-scale offshore wind projects with a combined capacity of approximately 15 GW. Since January 2021, the Department has held five offshore wind lease auctions.