USA designates offshore wind blocks for new auction

The USA has designated four concession areas for its second Gulf of Mexico offshore wind auction, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced on Friday.

The largest area is the 2,010-square-kilometre Option J area that sits 76 kilometres off the coast of Texas and has the potential to power 2.1 million homes.

Also included is the 484-square-kilometre Option K area that sits 99 kilometres off the coast of Texas and has the potential to power around 508,000 homes.

The BOEM also designated the 369-square-kilometre Option L area that sits 85 kilometres off the coast of Texas and has the potential to power around 388,000 homes.

The smallest designated concession is the 231-square-kilometre Option N area that sits 132 kilometres off the coast of Louisiana and has the potential to power around 242,000 homes.

Maps of the wind energy areas can be found on the BOEM’s website.

In August 2023, the USA’s first-ever offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico concluded with German energy player RWE taking the rights to develop the Lake Charles block in Louisiana for USD 5.6 million.

The USA has set a goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 and decarbonise the power generation sector by 2035.

Earlier in October, the USA awarded conditional contracts for three offshore wind projects in the state of New York.