USA sets date for Gulf of Mexico wind auction

WASHINGTON D.C., July 21, 2023 – The US government has announced dates for its first offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The auction will open on August 29, 2023.

Companies qualified to bid include Norwegian NOC Equinor, US energy giant Shell, German energy player RWE and French energy giant TotalEnergies.

All these companies have US wind developments in their portfolio.

Newcomers include South Korean energy technology player Hanwha, US renewable energy developer Hecate Energy and private equity entity Quantum Capital.

The concession areas will include 415 square kilometres offshore Lake Charles, Louisiana, and two blocks totalling almost 809 square kilometres offshore Galveston, Texas

According to the government, the areas have the potential to produce 3.7 GW, which would supply 1.3 million homes.

The government proposed the wind auction in February 2023.

Previously the government has held two offshore wind power auctions, including a bids for licences offshore New York that totalled USD 1.5 billion in bids.

In March 2022, Equinor and BP signed an agreement to transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in the state of New York into an operations and maintenance hub for the offshore wind sector.

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