The U.S. Department of the Interior will hold an auction for two areas off the southern coast of Oregon that could support 3.1 GW of offshore wind energy, if fully developed, enough to power one million homes. The auction, to be held on October 15th, will include the Coos Bay lease area of 61,203 acres about 32 miles from shore as well as the Brookings lease area of 133,792 acres and 18 miles from shore.
The five companies eligible to bid in the auction are Avangrid Renewables, BlueFloat Energy Oregon, OW North American Ventures, US Mainstream Renewable Power and South Coast Energy Waters.
This is the second federal offshore wind energy lease auction in Pacific waters. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed the first in December 2022. Unlike projects under development off the East Coast, wind turbines in Pacific waters will require floating turbine platforms attached to cables due to the ocean depth.
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