The US Department of the Interior has proposed holding offshore wind auctions off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine.
The leases could support more than 18GW of offshore wind capacity – about 15GW in the Gulf of Maine, and about 3GW off Oregon – according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). It has not confirmed a schedule for the lease sales.
Oregon – in the north-west – and Maine – in the north-east on the Canadian border – have deep waters. Any wind farms there would have to use floating platforms.
“BOEM's combined announcement solidifies two new regional markets for floating offshore wind, balancing the development of this industry sector across both coasts,” said Liz Burdock, CEO of the Oceantic Network trade group.
“New lease areas in Oregon will support a further buildout of the west coast’s regional supply chain, adding strength to California projects,” she said. “And in the Gulf of Maine, this new 15GW potential will drive the creation of a floating offshore wind supply chain on the east coast.”
The proposed sales are the first in President Joe Biden’s just-announced five-year offshore wind plan.
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