The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has confirmed three areas in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas and Louisiana will be put up for lease.
These areas have the potential to generate enough clean energy to power almost 1.3 million homes, according to The White House.
The proposed auction includes provisions that would incentivise new investments in workforce training and a domestic supply chain, to expand economic opportunities across offshore wind manufacturing, port operations, and more.
DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to analyse the entire Gulf of Mexico ecosystem to find areas that have the least conflict with other uses and the lowest environmental impact.
Furthermore, following DOI’s recent California offshore wind auction and ahead of the proposed Gulf of Mexico offshore wind auction, both California and Louisiana are joining the Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership.
The partnership aims to collaborate with federal agencies and other states on priorities including building an American supply chain and skilled workforce for offshore wind.
President Biden (pictured) has set a goal of of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, as well as 15GW specifically of floating offshore wind by 2035.