In the first U.S. auction of deep-water Atlantic Ocean sites for commercial floating offshore wind energy in federal waters, the U.S. Interior Dept. said four Gulf of Maine lease areas sold for nearly $22 million to two bidders—Avangrid Renewables, which gained areas totaling 223,462 acres about 30 nautical miles off Massachusetts; and Invenergy NE Offshore Wind, which won areas totaling 215,634 acres that extend as far as 46 nautical miles from Maine.Â
The four areas with a total of 6.8 GW of projected power capacity, also generated $5.4 million of total bid credits to developers based on “binding commitments” to invest that amount in workforce training, supply chain development and fisheries’ sector mitigation.Â
Dan Burgess, energy office director for Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), said the sales represented a “significant milestone” for the state and the region as it develops offshore wind to reduce dependence on expensive…
