U.S. Department of the Interior announces new five year offshore wind leasing program

Image: BOEM

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland used the Oceantic Network’s 2024 International Partnering Forum, currently under way in New Orleans, to announce a new five-year offshore wind leasing program and to report that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) have finalized updated regulations for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Interior says that the final rule increases certainty and reduces the costs associated with the deployment of offshore wind projects by modernizing regulations, streamlining overly complex processes and removing unnecessary ones, clarifying ambiguous regulatory provisions, and enhancing compliance requirements. Over the next 20 years, the final rule is expected to result in cost savings of roughly $1.9 billion to the offshore wind industry.

The new five-year leasing plan includes up to 12 potential offshore wind energy lease sales through 2028. Future offshore wind energy lease sales from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) are anticipated in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and the waters offshore of the U.S. territories in the next five years. The leasing schedule includes four potential offshore lease sales in 2024, one each in 2025 and 2026, two in 2027, and four in 2028:

• 2024 Central Atlantic, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, and Oregon
• 2025 Gulf of Mexico
• 2026 Central Atlantic
• 2027 Gulf of Mexico and New York Bight
• 2028 California, Gulf of Maine, Hawaii and a U.S. territory

OIL AND GAS LEASE SALES NEEDED TOO

National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) president Erik Milito issued the following statement on the new five-year offshore wind leasing schedule.

“Consistent and predictable lease sales are crucial for maintaining a steady flow of energy production. The announcement of a five-year offshore wind leasing schedule is a positive development, but it reinforces the pressing need for more offshore oil and gas lease sales. With potentially only three oil and gas lease sales scheduled over the next five years, Interior may struggle to comply with the Inflation Reduction Act and conduct offshore wind lease sales annually as contemplated in the new schedule—a crucial factor for supporting renewable energy growth along America’s coastlines.

“Any actions to delay or reduce Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sales could inadvertently delay offshore wind lease sales. Periods of inactivity in lease sales—whether for wind, or oil and gas—only increase uncertainty and risk driving investment dollars overseas. Sustaining regular lease sales for all energy sources ensures energy continuity, promotes economic growth, and maintains America’s competitiveness in the global energy market.

“The need for regular and increased opportunities for oil and gas and wind leases has never been more critical. We commend Interior’s announcement and urge Congress to continue bipartisan efforts to legislate offshore lease sales for both oil and gas and wind energy at regular intervals.”