Winners of US Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Lease Auction
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has chosen Equinor and Virginia Electric and Power Co. as the winners of the offshore wind energy lease auction in the U.S. Central Atlantic region.
With a bid of $75 million for 101,443 acres in the Atlantic Ocean, Equinor secured one of two fixed-bottom lease areas in the BOEM auction, located 26 nautical mi. (nm) from the mouth of the Delaware Bay.
Virginia Electric and Power Co. secured the other lease area with $17.7 million, which comprises 176,505 acres and is approximately 35 nm from the entrance of Chesapeake Bay.
Six companies participated in the auction.
The two winners will now work with BOEM to certify their leases.
BOEM will continue to convene the Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to enhance collaboration and to explore and identify potential additional areas for future offshore wind leasing.