Why the Gulf of Mexico’s first offshore wind auction wasn’t a smash hit
This story was originally published by Canary Media and is republished with permission.
The Biden administration on Tuesday received a top bid of $ 5.6 million during the first-ever auction of offshore wind development rights in the Gulf of Mexico.
German energy giant RWE placed the highest bid for a 102,500-acre swath of water off the coast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, which has the potential to host 1.24 gigawatts’ worth of offshore wind capacity. Two other lease areas near Galveston, Texas didn’t receive any bids.
The lease sale is an important step toward building clean energy projects in a region that has long been dominated by offshore oil and gas production. Wind turbines are already spinning off the East Coast and more are being installed; meanwhile, floating offshore wind farms are being planned for California’s coastal waters. This week’s auction officially brings the emerging U.S. offshore …