BOEM postpones Oregon offshore wind energy auction
Written by Nick Blenkey
Oregon has been studying the potential for floating offshore wind
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced that it is delaying the offshore wind energy auction planned for potential lease areas offshore Oregon due to insufficient bidder interest at this time.
Oregon is one of the states that has been studying the potential for floating offshore wind and there had been hopes that the lease sale would move development of this technology forward. Still, as we saw in this year’s U.S. GoM wind sale, the challenges it poses are making potential developers cautious.
On Aug. 29, 2024, the Department of the Interior announced the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for offshore wind leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Oregon following engagement through the Oregon Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, including coordination with the State of Oregon on advancing opportunities for leasing that would precede a multi-year process for site assessments and subsequent review of any specific project plans if submitted. The FSN set an auction date for Oct. 15, 2024, and included two lease areas offshore Oregon and identified the five companies qualified to participate in the sale. Following issuance of the FSN, BOEM received bidding interest from one of the five qualified companies.
In determining a future opportunity for a potential lease sale, BOEM says that it “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.”
Categories: News, Offshore, Offshore Wind
