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☆ Port of Virginia is making big changes to become No. 1 on the East Coast for super-sized ocean containerships
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The dredging project is expected to be completed in Fall 2025, making the Port of Virginia the deepest and widest harbor on the East Coast. "Ultra-large container vessels have challenged every port," said Stephen Edwards, CEO of the Port of Virginia. Edwards said the port was able to quickly absorb Baltimore freight because of the ocean carrier service overlap in calling on the Port of Virginia, Baltimore and Port of New York/New Jersey. In January, the port became the first East Coast port to power all its terminals with 100% clean energy, eight years ahead of the 2032 target it set for that goal. The expansion will increase the fleet at NIT to 152 electric stacking cranes, seven electric rail cranes, and 31 electric ship-to-shore cranes.

Persons: Lori Ann LaRocco, Stephen Edwards, " Edwards, Edwards, It's, Good Hope, D'Andrae Larry, Larry, Jones, monopiles, Monopiles Organizations: NIT, CNBC, U.S ., Commonwealth, Walmart, Maersk, Port, Baltimore, Rail, Norfolk International, Uber, Virginia Department of Transportation, Dominion Energy, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, ClearView Energy Partners, of Ocean Energy, U.S, District of Columbia, Dominion Locations: Port of Virginia, Port, Virginia, U.S . East Coast, Norfolk, Coast, of Virginia, East Coast, U.S, Delaware, South, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, India, Red, Suez, Good, Baltimore, Port of Baltimore, Port of New York, New Jersey, of Virginia's, Commonwealth, Norfolk , Virginia, East, Virginia Beach

☆ Offshore wind projects have been dogged by inflation and culture wars. Now they’re making a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —After a disastrous year marked by high costs, accusations of environmental harm and project cancellations in 2023, there’s a sense the US offshore wind industry is on a rebound. But offshore wind is increasingly Trump-proof, according to a top White House climate official, wind CEOs and an industry analyst. “This year will be a significant year for offshore wind development,” BOEM director Elizabeth Klein told CNN in a statement. The US supply chain for offshore wind is still being built; therefore, projects are turning to European manufacturers to get blades, gearboxes, and other components. Now, he said, Northeast governors “just want to make sure their states have energy.”New York has been aggressively pursuing offshore wind projects, rebidding previously canceled projects and accepting those projects at higher prices.

Persons: ”, Sam Huntington, “, aren’t, Donald Trump –, Trump, Ali Zaidi, that’s, ” Zaidi, we’ve, Zaidi, “ We’re, ” Huntington, Elizabeth Klein, Matthew J, Lee, There’s, Clint Plummer, ” Plummer, Pedro Azagra Blázquez, ” Blázquez, rebidding, Plummer, they’re Organizations: CNN, P, White House, White, Biden, US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Vineyard, New, Boston Globe, Power Locations: Wisconsin, Trump, Europe, Gulf of Maine, Oregon, New Bedford, Massachusetts, Huntington, New York, Danish, Asia, Friendly, New England, York

Tina Kotek said she was committed to developing a transparent roadmap for exploring offshore wind opportunities with the input of coastal and tribal communities. As a next step, BOEM said it will prepare an environmental assessment on the potential impacts of leasing offshore wind farms. The offshore wind industry in the U.S. is growing after lagging behind Europe for decades. The first auction of leases to develop commercial-scale floating farms was held in 2022, for five sites off the coast of California. The administration has set a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 using traditional technology that secures wind turbines to the ocean floor.

Persons: Tina Kotek, ” Kotek, ” BOEM, Brad Kneaper, BOEM, Joe Biden Organizations: of Ocean Energy Management, Oregon Gov, Tribal Locations: PORTLAND, Oregon, Coos Bay, Brookings, California, Coos, Lower Umpqua, U.S, New York

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Two federal environmental agencies issued plans Thursday to better protect endangered whales amid offshore wind farm development. The agencies said they are trying to find ways to better protect the whales amid a surge of offshore wind farm projects, particularly on the U.S. East Coast. They plan to look for ways to mitigate potential adverse impacts of offshore wind projects on the whales and their habitat. They and other scientific agencies say there is no evidence that offshore wind preparation work is harming or killing whales. As of September 2023, there were 30 offshore wind lease areas along the East Coast, the two agencies said.

Organizations: CITY, U.S . Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S ., NOAA, Continental Locations: N.J, American, U.S . East Coast, East Coast, Massachusetts, New York

☆ Make America Build Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +37 min

America is the sixth-most-expensive place in the world to build subways and trolleys. The solutions will cost trillions of dollars and require a pace of building unseen in America since World War II. Perhaps the single most pressing question we face today is: How do we make America build again? "For this class of projects, federal environmental laws are more the exception." The prospect of overhauling our hard-won environmental laws might feel like sacrilege to anyone who cares about the Earth.

Persons: Anne, Marie Griger's, Griger, —, They're, Obama, I'm, we've, We've, I'd, It's, Matt Harrison Clough, Jamie Pleune, AECOM, Joe Biden's, There's, David Adelman, David Spence, Spence, James Coleman, NECA, Coleman, everyone's, Danielle Stokes, Nobody, Bill McKibben, Mother Jones, McKibben, Michael Gerrard, Columbia University —, they've, David Pettit, it's, Zachary Liscow, That's who's, Adam Rogers Organizations: RES Group, Environmental, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Land Management, Forest Service, University of Utah, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Brookings, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, White, University of Texas, Greenpeace, Natural Resources Defense Council, Act, NEPA, Berkeley, University of California, University of Southern, Southern Methodist University, Ecosystems Conservation, GOP, Biden, Motorola, Telecommunications, Conservatives, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, University of Richmond, UC Berkeley, USC, Star, Sabin, Climate, Columbia University, Natural Resources Defense, Republicans, Democrats, Management, Budget, Yale Law School Locations: Panama, Colorado, . California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, China, America, Washington, , Wyoming, Nantucket, New England, San Francisco ., University of Southern California, California, New York, Florida, Southern California, Las Vegas

In total, the cancellations equate to nearly one-fifth of President Joe Biden’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. Despite the setbacks, offshore wind continues to move forward, the White House said, citing recent investments by New York state and approval by the Interior Department of the nation’s largest planned offshore wind farm in Virginia. Hardy spoke at the American Clean Power industry group’s offshore wind conference in Boston last month on a panel with Morris. Phil Murphy, has established increasingly stringent clean energy goals, moving from 100% clean energy by 2050 to 100% by 2035. “Offshore wind is a lot bigger than Ørsted.”The first U.S. commercial-scale offshore wind farms are currently under construction: Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts and South Fork Wind off Rhode Island and New York.

Persons: jeopardizing, Ørsted, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Timothy Fox, “, Molly Morris, David Hardy, Hardy, Morris, “ We’re, ”, Walt Musial, Musial, Conor Bambrick, Phil Murphy, Murphy, Catherine Klinger, Catherine Bowes, ″ Bowes, Michael Brown, ” ___ McDermott Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, Interior Department, Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Industry, ClearView Energy Partners, Ørsted, American Clean, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Energy Department, P, Environmental, ., Democratic Gov, New, U.S, Offshore, Ocean, ___, AP Locations: New Jersey, U.S, Danish, New England, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Interior’s, Gulf of Mexico, East Coast, Washington, Norwegian, Jersey, United States, Boston, Europe, Virginia Beach, Rhode Island, . New Jersey, Rhode, North America, Providence , Rhode Island, Hill, Albany , New York, Catalini, Trenton , New Jersey

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A power company's plans for an enormous offshore wind farm off Virginia's coast gained key federal approval Tuesday after the Biden Administration evaluated the project's potential impact on the environment. The utility will still need federal approval of its construction and operation plans before more pilings rise above the Atlantic Ocean. Dominion said its project will be the largest offshore wind farm under development in the United States. The administration said it wants to build 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 — enough to power more than 10 million homes. The Southern Environmental Law Center cited the importance of offshore wind for cutting carbon pollution, which fuels climate change.

Persons: what's, “, Deb Haaland, Joe Biden's, Glenn Youngkin, Will Cleveland, Michael Town, ” Organizations: Biden Administration, Dominion Energy, of Ocean Energy Management, Dominion, Interior Department, Republican Gov, Southern Environmental, Virginia League of Conservation Voters Locations: VIRGINIA BEACH, Va, Virginia's, Atlantic, Virginia Beach, United States, Virginia

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Four tracts of federal Gulf of Mexico waters of the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, ranging in size from nearly 57,000 acres (23,100 hectares) to over 495,000 acres (200,230 hectares), were designated Thursday for development of wind energy by the Biden administration. That sale drew a $5.6 million bid from one company for one Gulf tract, a modest start for wind energy in the Gulf, which lags behind the Northeast in offshore wind power development. The areas designated on Friday:— 495,567 acres (200,549 hectares) about 47 miles (76 kilometers) off the coast of Texas that could support wind power generation for 2.1 million homes. — 91,157 acres (36,890 hectares) about 53 miles (85 kilometers) off the coast of Texas, that could support wind power for 387,450 homes. — 56,978 acres (23,058 hectares) about 82 miles (132 kilometers) off the coast of Louisiana that could support wind power for 242,000 homes.

Persons: Biden Organizations: ORLEANS, of Ocean Energy Management Locations: Gulf, Mexico, Texas, Louisiana

Biden's Interior Department on Friday unveiled a congressionally mandated five-year plan for offshore oil drilling that included just three sales, all in the Gulf of Mexico -- the lowest number in any five-year plan since the government began publishing them in 1980. Previous five-year offshore lease programs have ranged between 11 and 41 sales, according to Interior's U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas lease sales a prerequisite for new offshore wind power auctions. Biden sees offshore wind power as a key element to his plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050. In a sign of the litigious nature of U.S. drilling policy, Biden's administration had been scheduled to hold a Congressionally mandated Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease auction this month.

Persons: Biden, Erik Milito, Abigail Dillen, we've, Mike Sommers, Bill Cassidy, Vladimir Putin, Cassidy, Trump, Nichola Groom, Jamie Freed, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Biden's, Department, Reuters, National Ocean Industries Association, U.S . Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior Department, Biden, American Petroleum Institute, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast, OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, ., Interior, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, U.S, Gulf, Mexico, Putin, Louisiana, Russia, California

The five-year plan includes proposed sales in the Gulf of Mexico — the nation’s primary offshore source of oil and gas — in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development. The lease program will guard against environmental damage caused by oil and gas drilling and other adverse impacts to coastal communities, Haaland said. “The (oil leasing) program is definitely informed by the IRA and the connection that the IRA makes between offshore oil and gas leasing and renewable energy leasing,” he said Thursday, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act. The Interior Department can’t sell the rights to drill for oil and gas offshore without first publishing a schedule that outlines its plans.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Manchin, Harris, Deb Haaland, ”, Haaland, “, Biden's, Ryan Lance, Willow, Dyani Chapman, Tommy Beaudreau, Interior Department can’t, Rene Santos, Santos, Beth Lowell, Abigail Dillen, Sen, Dan Sullivan, ___ Brown, Becky Bohrer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Biden, Interior Department, Interior Department’s, of Ocean Energy Management, drillers, BP, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Alaska Environment, Interior, P, Gulf, American Petroleum Institute, Chevron, Associated Press Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Gulf, Mexico, West Virginia, Chevron, Brazil, Guyana, Louisiana, Oceana, Gulf Coast, Billings, Mont, Juneau , Alaska

The White House is expected to argue on Friday that holding oil lease sales is the price to pay if it wants to achieve its ambitious wind energy goals. Biden sees offshore wind power as a key tool in his administration's effort to decarbonize the economy. "The number of oil and gas lease sales will be the lowest in history and will enable the rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry," the source said. The Interior Department is required by law to create a national oil and gas leasing schedule every five years. The Biden administration unveiled a proposed plan in July last year that had contemplated between zero to 11 lease sales.

Persons: Jessica Resnick, Ault, Biden, Trump, Joe Biden's, Deb Haaland, Jarrett Renshaw, Nichola, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Reuters, Biden, Interior Department, Interior, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Alaska, California, U.S

Cain's Sept. 22 order had been celebrated by the oil and gas industry, which had sued in August alongside the state of Louisiana over an earlier decision by the Interior Department to scale back the auction. Representatives for the Interior Department, environmental groups, the Louisiana attorney general's office and the American Petroleum Institute did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Interior Department finalized plans for a reduced lease sale in August, after last year's Inflation Reduction Act mandated the auction move forward. The sale made about 67 million acres in the Gulf available for bids. Those groups had claimed the whales can be harmed or killed by oil spills, vessel strikes, noise, marine debris and other impacts of oil and gas exploration and development.

Persons: Biden, James Cain's, Joe Biden, Nichola Groom, Clark Mindock, Sandra Maler, Alexia Garamfalvi, Richard Chang Organizations: Chevron Corp, Monday, Circuit, U.S . Interior Department, Interior Department, U.S, District, of Ocean Energy Management, American Petroleum Institute, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S

☆ U.S. judge orders expansion of Gulf of Mexico oil lease auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Louisiana has ordered an expansion of next week's sale of oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the Biden administration must include additional acreage, according to a court ruling issued late on Thursday. U.S. District Judge James Cain said the Interior Department must proceed with the lease sale by Sept. 30, the ruling said. Environment groups had opposed including the additional acres, citing the need for adequate safeguards for the endangered Rice's whale. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had no comment on the ruling, which was reported earlier by Bloomberg News. Reporting by Jarret Renshaw and Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biden, James Cain, Jarret Renshaw, Susan Heavey, Doina Organizations: Interior Department's, of Ocean Energy Management, District, Interior Department, Department of, American Petroleum Institute, Bloomberg News, Thomson Locations: Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico, U.S

That area was reduced to 67 acres (27 hectares) in August when Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced final plans for the sale. Chevron, Shell Offshore, the American Petroleum Institute and the state of Louisiana sued to reverse the cut in acreage and block the inclusion of the whale-protecting measures in the lease sale provisions. They also said the changes after the initial lease sale was proposed in March violate federal law because they were adopted arbitrarily, without sufficient explanation of why they are needed. Political Cartoons View All 1173 ImagesMeanwhile, rival litigation filed by Earthjustice and other prominent environmental groups seeks to halt the lease sale. The organizations say the lease sale violates the National Environmental Policy.

Persons: Biden, James David Cain Jr, Lake Charles, BOEM, Earthjustice, ” Erik Milito, Steve Mashuda Organizations: ORLEANS, —, Interior Department, Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, District, Shell, American Petroleum Institute, Environmental, Energy, National Ocean Industries Association Locations: Gulf, Mexico, Lake, Maryland, Chevron, Louisiana, Gulf Coast

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. (AP) — As the U.S. races to build offshore wind power projects, transforming coastlines from Maine to South Carolina, much remains unknown about how the facilities could affect the environment. So far, four offshore wind projects have been approved by the federal government for the U.S. East Coast, according to the American Clean Power Association. The company is a Danish wind power business that will build two of the three offshore projects approved for New Jersey. Numerous others have been proposed, and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to review at least 16 offshore wind projects by 2025. The federal government has endorsed — but not required — compensation to the fishing industry for negative effects from offshore wind.

Persons: ”, Jim Hutchinson, ’, Greg Cudnik, Andy Lipsky, Phil Sgro, Meghan Lapp, “, Keith Craffey, Sgro, —, Frank Pallone Jr, Wayne Parry Organizations: PLEASANT, The Fisherman, U.S ., American Clean Power Association, Atlantic, U.S . Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Fisheries Science, Biden Administration, Seafreeze, New, Baymen’s, Association, U.S . Commerce Department, Orsted, U.S . Rep, New Jersey Democrat, Twitter Locations: N.J, U.S, Maine, South Carolina, New Jersey, U.S . East Coast, , New York, Montauk, Atlantic City, Ocean City, Danish, Point Judith, Rhode Island, , New Jersey, American, —, United States, America, North Kingstown, New, Raritan, New York, New England, Block Island

☆ Offshore Wind Auction for the Gulf of Mexico Gets a Tepid Response
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Lisa Friedman | More About Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The first auction of leases for wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Biden administration had heralded as part of its effort to expand clean energy, ended on Tuesday with just one of three available tracts sold. The lackluster bidding underscored a number of problems facing the offshore wind industry as companies struggle with soaring costs spurred by inflation, rising interest rates and permitting delays, energy experts said. The challenges pose a threat to President Biden’s climate agenda, which calls for building offshore wind farms to power 10 million homes by the end of this decade. Together, they have the potential to produce electricity to power almost 1.3 million homes, the agency said. There were no bids for the tracts off Galveston.

Persons: Biden Organizations: of Ocean Energy Management Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Lake Charles, La, Galveston , Texas, RWE, Germany, Galveston

☆ First US offshore wind auction in Gulf of Mexico attracts paltry interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

RWE is among the world's largest offshore wind developers, with an extensive portfolio in Europe, and has also secured leases off the coasts of California and New York. The Southeast also has low power prices that could make it harder for higher-cost offshore wind generation to compete for electricity contracts. Texas does not have an offshore wind target. "Today's auction results show the important role state public policy plays in offshore wind market development," Liz Burdock, CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, said in a statement. They included offshore wind development arms of European energy companies Equinor (EQNR.OL) and Shell (SHEL.L), who also have oil and gas operations in the Gulf.

Persons: Karen, Steve Nesius, Biden administration's, Germany's, RWE, Liz Burdock, Joe Biden's, ”, Elizabeth Klein, Nichola, Marguerita Choy, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, ASA, Texas, U.S . Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Carolinas, Business Network, Offshore, of Ocean Energy Management, Shell, . Developers, Thomson Locations: Dauphin Island , Alabama, Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, California, Europe, U.S, Gulf, Mexico, Texas, of Mexico

☆ First US Gulf offshore wind auction to fuel region's green hydrogen push
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It is considered "green" if produced with renewable energy and "gray" if the process is fueled with carbon-emitting natural gas. "When we get to the Gulf, (offshore wind) will start becoming much more disconnected from the grid," said Cheryl Stahl, principal project manager at risk assessment firm DNV. In comments to BOEM on the planned Gulf sale earlier this year, those three companies noted the potential of offshore wind to produce green hydrogen in the region. "The Gulf of Mexico is uniquely situated to facilitate and benefit from green hydrogen production via offshore wind," Shell said in April, pointing to the region's existing port and pipeline infrastructure as well as new federal funding for green hydrogen development. The American Clean Power Association, a trade group that represents offshore wind and other renewable energy developers, also said in its comments to BOEM that green hydrogen would "increase market viability of offshore wind."

Persons: Biden, Cheryl Stahl, John Filostrat, Shell, TotalEnergies, Alon Carmel, Joe Biden's, Lacy McManus, McManus, Nichola, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Department's, of Ocean Energy Management, Companies, Shell, Clean Power Association, PA Consulting, New, New Orleans Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, South Louisiana

☆ Oil companies sue U.S. over Gulf auction changes meant to protect whale
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Unused oil rigs sit in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, Louisiana August 11, 2010. The suit is the latest dispute between the oil and gas industry and the administration of President Joe Biden over leasing federal lands and waters for energy development. The final sale notice included new restrictions on development meant to protect the endangered Rice's whale. Lease Sale 261 will be held on Sept. 27 and will offer approximately 12,395 blocks on approximately 67 million acres (27 million hectares) on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf in the Western, Central, and Eastern Planning Areas in the Gulf of Mexico.

Persons: Lee Celano, Joe Biden, Biden, Ryan Meyers, Mrinmay Dey, Nichola, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Chevron, Biden, Western, Western District of, Interior Department's, of Ocean Energy Management, American Petroleum Institute, Interior Department, U.S . Outer Continental, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Port Fourchon , Louisiana, Louisiana, Gulf, Mexico, Western District, Western District of Louisiana, Central

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the law, which instructed the U.S. Circuit said the law "makes clear" that those leases are no longer subject to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires a thorough look at environmental impacts of proposed major federal actions. Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda, who represented the environmental groups, said in a statement that the decision will harm Gulf communities and ecosystems. A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute called the order a “positive step toward more certainty and clarity for energy producers.”The Interior Department, which did not appeal the lower court decision, declined to comment. v. Debra Haaland et al., U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, case No.

☆ U.S. holds sale of drilling rights off Alaska coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 30 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Friday will hold a sale of oil and gas drilling rights off the coast of Alaska, the first federal auction in the region in more than five years. The agency had scrapped the Cook Inlet sale earlier this year before the IRA passed, citing a lack of industry interest. Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles (290 km) from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska. There are 14 active federal leases in Cook Inlet, all of which were purchased by Houston-based Hilcorp at the last federal auction in the region in 2017. Operating oil and gas platforms in the area are all in state waters, but oil production has declined substantially since peaking in the 1970s.

☆ European energy firms dominate landmark California offshore wind auction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The auction began on Tuesday and ended Wednesday, the offshore wind industry's first chance to snag leases in waters off the U.S. West Coast. "Today’s lease sale is further proof that industry momentum -- including for floating offshore wind development -- is undeniable," U.S. Winners of the five leases were mainly divisions of European energy companies already developing projects in the U.S. offshore wind market. "The macroeconomic environment has hardened significantly over the last six to 12 months," said Alon Carmel, a partner at consultancy PA Consulting who advises offshore wind companies. About 100 megawatts of floating wind capacity is currently installed in the world compared with 50 gigawatts (GW) for conventional offshore wind.

☆ California first offshore wind auction surpasses $500 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 7 (Reuters) - The first ever auction of offshore wind development rights off the coast of California was in its second day on Wednesday, with high bids topping half a billion dollars. There is currently about 100 megawatts of floating wind capacity installed in the world, compared with 50 gigawatts (GW) for conventional offshore wind, Zaidi noted. Previous federal offshore wind auctions have all been for leases in shallower waters of the Atlantic Ocean. High bids on individual leases ranged between $95.3 million and $148.8 million, according to live auction results on the BOEM web site. They include established offshore wind players like Avangrid Inc (AGR.N), Orsted (ORSTED.CO) and Equinor (EQNR.OL), which are all developing projects on the U.S. East Coast, as well as potential new entrants, including Swedish floating wind developer Hexicon (HEXI.ST) and Macquarie (MQG.AX) unit Corio.

☆ California offshore wind auction bids top $460 mln on day two
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 7 (Reuters) - The first ever auction of offshore wind development rights off the coast of California entered its second day on Wednesday, with high bids topping $460 million. Previous federal offshore wind auctions have all been for leases in shallower waters of the Atlantic Ocean. After 22 rounds of bidding, high bids totaled a combined $462.1 million. Two leases off the central coast had commanded high bids of more than $100 million, with the remaining leases attracting high bids in a range of $62.7 million to $98.8 million, according to live auction results on the BOEM web site. The identities of the bidders are not disclosed during the auction, but 43 companies had been approved to participate.

☆ First-ever California offshore wind auction surpasses $757 million in bids
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced more than $757 million in winning bids for its auction of offshore wind development rights in California, marking the third offshore wind lease sale this year and the first ever for the Pacific region. The sale is a major milestone in the administration's goal of building offshore wind turbines across the nation's coastlines to help power communities and transition to clean energy. The White House, as part of its broader agenda to address climate change, has committed to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, enough to power 10 million homes. "Floating wind technology in its early stages but it is an advanced technology that will lead to strong growth in the deployment of offshore wind." Winning bidders include California North Floating, RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, Central California Offshore Wind and Invenergy California Offshore.

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