Avangrid, Invenergy win Gulf of Maine offshore lease auction

The US government’s offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Maine awarded two provisional winners for only four of the eight areas offered, attracting over USD 21.9 million (EUR 20.3m) in winning bids, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced Tuesday.

The auction offered eight areas off the coasts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine with the potential to accommodate 13 GW of offshore turbines. Avangrid Renewables LLC and Invenergy NE Offshore Wind LLC each secured development rights for two leases.

Specifically, Avangrid Renewables won Lease OCS-564, which covers 98,565 acres, for USD 4.9 million and the 124,897-acre Lease OCS-568 for USD 6.2 million. Both of those lease areas are located around 29.5 nautical miles from Massachusetts. The two areas have the potential to deliver 3 GW of clean power.

In the meantime, Lease OCS-562, which covers 97,854 acres and is located 46.2 nautical miles from Maine, was secured by Invenergy at USD 4.9 million. The company also paid USD 5.9 million for Lease OCS-567, which sits 21.6 nautical miles from Massachusetts and spans 117,780 acres.

The lease areas will host turbines that have the potential to generate green power for more than 2.3 million homes, BOEM estimates.

The solicitation was the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast. It brought over USD 5.4 million in commitments by companies to invest in workforce training and domestic supply chain development, as well as in fisheries mitigation initiatives.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.925)

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