US chooses winning bids in first commercial sale for floating offshore Atlantic wind
The U.S. government has chosen winning bids to develop wind power off New England in the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic coast
PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. government chose winning bids Tuesday to develop wind power off New England in the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic coast.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a lease sale and selected nearly $22 million in winning bids for four lease areas from two firms. The sale is a major step toward accelerating President Joe Biden's goal of dramatically expanding offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.
Environmentalists praised the lease sale, though commercial fishermen who have questioned the expansion of offshore wind said they remain opposed. The lease areas are in the Gulf of Maine, which is a critical fishing ground for the U.S. lobster industry.
The awarding of the leases is “a critical step in our fight against climate change,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
«Together, we can create good paying jobs, build a domestic supply chain, and ensure that the momentum of this offshore industry continues for generations to come,» Haaland said in a statement.
Two of the leases went to Avangrid Renewables for areas about 35 miles (55 kilometers) from Massachusetts. The other two leases went to Invenergy NE Offshore Wind for areas about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Massachusetts. The four areas combined are more than 625 square miles (1,600 square kilometers).
The leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes, the Interior Department said in a statement.
Avangrid said in a statement that the leased areas will enable the company to progress floating wind technology. The next
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