The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has cancelled the second offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico as there was no competitive interest.
The first lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico was held in August 2023 and one lease was awarded to RWE for the Lake Charles Lease Area off Louisiana. The two other areas that were auctioned in the 2023 lease sale, Galveston I and Galveston II areas offshore Texas, received zero bids.
In March this year, the US Department of the Interior (DOI) and BOEM issued a Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for a second offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico, planning to offer four areas offshore Louisiana and Texas.
BOEM said on 26 July that the agency received 25 comments in response to the March 2024 PSN. However, only one company expressed interest in participating in the lease sale.
“As a result, BOEM is cancelling this sale due to a lack of competitive interest. BOEM may decide to move forward with a lease sale at a future time, based on industry interest,” the federal agency stated.