The Biden Administration has announced that it will auction two areas covering 194,995 acres (789km²) off the coast of Oregon.
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) said the two areas have the potential to generate more than 3.1GW of clean energy once developed, enough to power approximately one million households.
The auction, scheduled for 15 October 2024, will be the Biden Administration’s sixth leasing round and the second in deep Pacific Ocean waters.
The two sites are located at Coos Bay and Brookings, which are 18 and 32 miles from shore, respectively.
The auction will be led by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The BOEM will offer bidding credits for bidders who enter into community benefit agreements or contribute significant investment into workforce training and supply chain development. Bidders will be advised to enter project labour agreements.
A total of 18 conditions for leasing were added to address requirements from the State of Oregon.
The announcement follows the previous 6.3GW leasing round earlier this month for offshore wind sites in the central Atlantic, which raised $93m for the federal government.
Under the Biden administration, the DOI has approved the US’ first nine commercial-scale offshore wind projects and held five offshore wind lease sales, which include a record-breaking sale of a site offshore New York and the first-ever sale offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
The administration has also advanced the development of additional wind energy areas in the Gulf of Maine.
At the beginning of 2024, the Biden administration scheduled additional offshore wind lease sales until 2028. Since the announcement, more than 13GW of offshore wind projects have received approval.
According to Power Technology’s parent company, GlobalData, offshore wind has contributed approximately 2.59TW to the US’ total generating capacity in 2024.
A total of 18 conditions for leasing were added to address requirements from the State of Oregon.
