The Biden-Harris Administration has announced the first offshore wind-lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will auction sites on Aug. 29 that have the potential to generate approximately 3.7 gigawatts and power nearly 1.3 million homes with clean, renewable energy.
Earlier this year, the Department of the Interior announced the proposed sale notice for offshore wind-energy development in the Gulf of Mexico. During a 60-day comment period, BOEM received comments on several lease stipulations that supported BOEM’s commitment to engage with underserved communities, ocean users and other stakeholders.
The auction is in line with the Biden-Harris administration’s plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 and reach a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035. The lease sale follows the administration’s third approval earlier this month of a commercial-scale, offshore wind-energy project in the United States.