Offshore Wind Energy On October 29, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) successfully held the first-ever offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Maine. Of the eight areas that BOEM offered for auction, Invenergy and Avangrid each won two lease areas with a total of $21.9 million in winning bids. The bids also included over $5.4 million total bidding credits to invest over $2.7 million in workforce training for offshore wind development and domestic supply chain development and $2.7 million for fisheries compensatory mitigation.
The leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes with clean energy. Offshore wind energy is a critical part of the transition away from fossil fuels, and thus, protecting communities and wildlife from the worst impacts of climate change.
This is the second lease sale in the U.S. for areas that are deep enough to require floating offshore wind technology. Floating offshore wind turbines are already generating energy in Scotland, Portugal, and Norway.
The Gulf of Maine region is poised to be a U.S. leader in the development and installation of floating offshore wind with significant benefits to local economies and communities. A new floating offshore wind industry in New England would localize energy development and bring tens of thousands of jobs in planning, engineering, biological research, manufacturing, construction, maintenance, and business support.
Additionally, the domestic investment in offshore wind energy supports the development of offshore wind ports, such as the port in Salem, Massachusetts, that just broke ground and the planned port in Searsport, Maine. These ports could operate as deep water access points for responsible offshore wind development across the Northeast U.S. and beyond.
How did we get here?
The process to arrive at a lease sale started in 2019 and included six public comment periods and more than 30 public meetings over almost four years.
BOEM started with a Call Area of 9.8 million acres, encompassing a large portion of the Gulf of Maine. In partnership with the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences, BOEM considered geospatial analyses and the feedback of many environmental groups, Tribal Nations, local communities, fisheries, and maritime industries to winnow the final lease areas down to 850,082 acres in order to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife, habitats, fishing industry, vessel traffic, and other ocean users.
Consistent with many recommendations from the National Wildlife Federation and our partners, BOEM made several decisions to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to wildlife, including removing from lease areas sensitive wildlife habitat in Cashes Ledge, seabird nesting and foraging areas, and North Atlantic right whale habitat and migratory pathways.
The path forward on offshore wind development
We are encouraged by the success of this auction, even though it took place at a challenging time with developers facing political uncertainty with potential implications for securing federal permits. There is strong public interest in offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine. Coalitions of environmental, labor, and business groups are working to advance offshore wind energy across New England; states are setting procurement goals and investing in port infrastructure and workforce development; and the University of Maine is conducting innovative research on new floating offshore wind technology.
We will continue to work with BOEM, developers, and our state and local partners in New England to ensure that offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine proceeds responsibly, with robust protections for wildlife and benefits for communities and workers.
