US schedules just 3 oil and gas leases in support of offshore wind

The US Department of the Interior (DoI) has published the final programme for oil and gas lease sales in the 2024-2029 period which includes just the minimum number of lease sales needed to support offshore wind progress.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the DoI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) cannot issue a lease for offshore wind unless it has offered at least 60 million acres for oil and gas leasing in the previous year.

The final 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Programme includes the fewest oil and gas lease sales in history, scheduling three lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027 and 2029. There will be no oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic, Pacific and Alaskan waters. The department pointed out that the programme represents a significant reduction from the previous administration’s original proposal of 47 lease sales.

The final programme was published last week after the release of a proposed final programme in September.

The US government has set a target of reaching 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.

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