The US Department of the Interior (DOI) is holding the first sale of wind energy leases in the Gulf of Mexico, with the auction taking place on August 29, the agency said in a news release.
The areas to be auctioned by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have the potential to generate approximately 3.7 gigawatts (GW) and power nearly 1.3 million homes with renewable energy, the DOI said. The three lease areas include 102,480 acres on the shores of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and two areas on the coast of Galveston, Texas, comprising 102,480 acres and 96,786 acres, respectively.
The lease sale is part of the Biden-Harris administration plans to deploy 30 GW of marine wind energy by 2030 and reach a carbon-free electric sector in 2035.It follows the third approval of the administration at the beginning of this month of a marine wind energy project in a commercial scale in the USA and is part of the lease announced by the Secretariat of the Interior of the DEB20202020202021.
“Today’s announcement marks another historic step in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to create a clean energy future,” Haaland said. “By catalyzing the Gulf of Mexico’s offshore wind energy potential, we can address the climate crisis, lower energy costs for families and create good-paying jobs.”
“The Gulf of Mexico is poised to play a key role in our nation’s transition to a clean energy future,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “Today’s announcement follows years of engagement with government agencies, states, ocean users and stakeholders in the Gulf of Mexico region. We look forward to continued collaboration in the years to come.”
Ocean wind project
In a separate press release in early July, BOEM said it approved plans for the construction and operation of the Ocean Wind 1 project off the coast of New Jersey, located about 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City. The project will have an estimated capacity of 1,100 megawatts and is expected to be completed within three years, creating more than 3,000 jobs and providing power for more than 380,000 homes, BOEM said.
The Ocean Wind 1 project marks the administration’s third approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US, joining the Vineyard Wind project offshore Massachusetts and the South Fork Wind project offshore Rhode Island and New York, according to the release.
“Ocean Wind 1 represents another important step for the offshore wind industry in the United States,” Klein said. “Approval of the project demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to clean energy development and the fight against climate change and is a testament to the state of New Jersey’s leadership in supporting sustainable energy sources and economic development for coastal communities.”
The BOEM expects to review at least 16 plans to build and operate commercial offshore wind energy facilities by 2025, which would represent more than 27 GW of net energy, according to the press release.
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