October 30, 2024
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the coordinated development of offshore wind on the US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
The agreement calls for DOD and BOEM to find mutual solutions that support renewable energy in a manner compatible with essential military operations.
The MoU also requires the organizations to collaborate early in the offshore wind leasing process and maintain regular communication at all levels.
Additionally, the agreement calls for DOD and BOEM to determine what areas should be deferred from leasing to enable the performance of DOD activities on the OCS.
“We will continue to work with BOEM and our other interagency partners, to find solutions that enable offshore wind development while ensuring long-term compatibility with testing, training, and operations critical to our military readiness”, said Brendan Owens, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment.
Just recently, BOEM held an auction in the Gulf of Maine, marking the first lease sale in the region and the first for floating offshore wind on the US Atlantic coast.
Details:
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held the auction on 29 October, which resulted in two provisional winners on four lease areas.
Avangrid and Invenergy have each secured two lease areas in the Gulf of Maine auction, where total bids exceeded USD 21.9 million, marking the first lease sale in the region and the first for floating offshore wind on the US Atlantic coast.
Avangrid won OCS-564 for USD 4.9 million, which consists of 98,565 acres, and OCS-568 for USD 6.2 million, which consists of 124,897 acres.
Both lease areas are approximately 29.5 nautical miles (approximately 55 kilometres) from Massachusetts.
Avangrid said that it will work to develop the lease areas, with the potential to deliver 3 GW of clean power, to help the energy needs of the New England region and advance the US 30 GW offshore wind target.
The lease areas also enable the company to help progress floating wind technology, as the next generation of offshore wind development is increasingly sited in deeper waters, according to Avangrid, Iberdrola’s US subsidiary.
“Avangrid is proud to secure two lease areas in today’s auction with the potential to deliver 3 Gigawatts of clean energy to the New England region, which affirms our position as a national leader in the United States’ offshore wind industry and builds on the Iberdrola Group’s global floating wind portfolio”, said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra.
“Securing these lease areas provides a unique opportunity to advance our growing business at a significant value, and reinforces our unwavering commitment to helping the New England region meet its growing need for reliable, clean energy.”
When it comes to Invenergy, the company secured the OCS-562 area for USD 4.9 million, which consists of 97,854 acres and is approximately 46.2 nautical miles (about 86 kilometres) from Maine. Additionally, Invenergy secured lease OCS-567 for USD 5.9 million, covering 117,780 acres and located about 21.6 nautical miles (40 kilometres) from Massachusetts.
Together, the leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes with renewable energy, according to the US Department of Interior (DOI).