The U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday unveiled a 5-year offshore wind leasing schedule with plans for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to host up to twelve sales in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and waters offshore U.S. territories.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland made the announcement at the International Partnering Forum conference in New Orleans, according to a Department of Interior news release. During her remarks, Haaland said that this schedule is aimed at providing confidence, as well as predictability to help developers and communities “plan ahead.”
This year, BOEM plans to hold lease sales in the Central Atlantic, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico and offshore Oregon, according to the Interior Department. In 2025, it will hold another lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico; in 2026, a sale in the Central Atlantic; in 2027, sales in the Gulf of Mexico and New York Bight; and in 2028, sales in the Gulf of Maine and offshore California, a U.S. territory, and Hawaii.
The Interior Department has approved eight commercial-scale offshore wind projects since the Biden administration took office, totaling more than 10 GW as it works to meet a goal of deploying 30 GW by 2030.
That goal suffered a setback last week when New York announced the cancelation of 4 GW of projects and cited GE Vernova’s decision to pivot away from a promised 18-MW turbine model.
“As the transition to a clean energy economy continues to accelerate, BOEM hopes to provide certainty and transparency by regularly providing a renewable energy leasing schedule,” BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said in the Interior Department’s release. “Routinely issuing a leasing schedule demonstrates our commitment to a long-term portfolio of leases and provides advance notice to stakeholders of the areas that are being considered for future lease sales.”
BOEM held its first-ever Gulf of Mexico wind energy lease sale in 2023, and proposed a second one in March. While the first auction received a tepid response, BOEM says it is fully committed to offshore wind development in the area.
“The Gulf is well-positioned to transition to a renewable energy future,” John Filostrat, BOEM’s director of public affairs for its Gulf of Mexico Regional Office, said in a March email. “The region’s existing energy infrastructure, workforce, and businesses expertise in offshore operations can immediately advance and benefit offshore wind development. BOEM’s objective in the Gulf of Mexico is to provide a predictable schedule to allow developers to effectively plan an investment strategy.”
