The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) yesterday held the nation’s fourth competitive lease sale for renewable energy in federal waters offshore Massachusetts for potential wind energy development.
The auction consisted of two rounds before determining RES America Developments, Inc. and Offshore MW LLC as the provisional winners of Lease Area OCS-A 0500 (187,523 acres) and OCS-A 0501 (166,886 acres), respectively. Winning bids totaled $448,171 in high bids. The total acreage of these two areas nearly doubles the amount of acreage leased for wind energy through competitive sales. Lease OCS-A 0502 (248,015 acres) and Lease OCS-A 0503 (140,554 acres) did not receive bids.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said: “We look forward to working with Governor Baker and his administration during this important time for offshore wind development.”
Including today’s auction, competitive lease sales have generated more than $14.5 million in high bids for more than 700,000 acres in federal waters. BOEM expects to hold another competitive lease sale offshore New Jersey later this year.