The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has postponed its auction of two wind energy leases offshore Oregon due to lack of bidder interest, the agency announced Friday.
BOEM identified five eligible bidders when it announced the auction in August — Avangrid Renewables, BlueFloat Energy Oregon, OW North American Ventures, US Mainstream Renewable Power and South Coast Energy Waters — and said it only received bidding interest from one.
The two areas BOEM planned to offer totaled around 195,000 acres and offered up to 3.1 GW of capacity. One lease area is located 32 miles from shore in Coos Bay, while the other is located 18 miles offshore Brookings. The auction would have been the first of its kind offshore Oregon.
“In determining a future opportunity for a potential lease sale, BOEM will continue to collaborate with representatives from federal, state and local agencies and Tribal governments, to coordinate on potential leasing and support ongoing stakeholder engagement processes on broader offshore wind considerations, such as the state-led development of a strategic roadmap for offshore wind,” BOEM said.
In July, BOEM made a similar decision to cancel its second Gulf of Mexico lease auction due to a lack of competitive interest — though BOEM’s Director of Public Affairs for its Gulf of Mexico office John Filostrat said the agency is “confident that industry interest remains” for the area.
Oregon’s offshore wind roadmap development process is still underway by the state’s Department of Land Conservation and Development. According to the DLCD, it will be seeking community engagement on the roadmap through June 2025.
In a Friday release, the Oceantic Network said it supports BOEM’s decision to “advance offshore wind energy responsibly” in Oregon, even if that means a delay.
“The West Coast is an emerging market that will require new technologies,” said Sam Salustro, vice president of strategic communication at Oceantic Network. “Regional supply chain coordination is key to a successful rollout of offshore wind energy, and we are seeing the region advance.”
Salustro said Oceantic is “confident that Oregon will soon join other states in the development of offshore wind projects as conversations continue and supply chain opportunities materialize.”
