NE4OSW Applauds Key Milestone for Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 29, 2024 
Contact:  
Jennifer Delony, New England for Offshore Wind 
jdelony@ne4osw.org, 603.320.7043

BOSTON – October 29, 2024 – Today, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its first offshore wind lease sale on the Outer Continental Shelf in the U.S. Gulf of Maine, resulting in provisional awards to 2 bidders for 4 lease areas and over $21.9 million in winning bids. 

Lucy Hochschartner, Climate and Clean Energy Director at Maine Conservation Voters, and New England for Offshore Wind (@NE4OSW) Maine State Lead, issued the following statement: 

“I am thrilled to see the next step toward bringing homegrown offshore wind to Maine that will create good, union jobs, get us off of volatile and expensive fossil fuels, and help to protect families from further climate disasters.” 

Kelt Wilska, Offshore Wind Director at the Environmental League of Massachusetts, and Regional Lead for New England for Offshore Wind, issued the following statement: 

“We are delighted by this momentous first step in deploying responsibly developed offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. The successful lease of these four offshore wind areas represents an incredible opportunity for New England states to issue collaborative procurements that will maximize the Gulf of Maine’s robust wind resource, unlock economies of scale, accelerate development and improve project outcomes across our shared grid. 

The Maine members of NE4OSW, including organized labor and environmental and conservation groups, have worked vigorously since 2021 to secure strong labor standards for the state’s offshore wind law, ensure offshore wind lease areas protect vital lobstering grounds, stand with Indigenous communities, and engage the most-impacted communities. Their efforts have helped ensure that offshore wind developers have critical market incentives to build the much-needed offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine, where about 13 GW of offshore wind could power over 4.5 million homes, while cutting 42% of CO2 emissions from the New England power sector and providing $362 million in annual public health benefits.” 

Background

BOEM announced the following provisional winning bids on October 29. 

  • Avangrid Renewables: Lease OCS-564 at $4,928,250, which consists of 98,565 acres and Lease OCS-568 at $6,244,850, which consists of 124,897 acres. Both lease areas are approximately 29.5 nautical miles (nm) from Massachusetts. 
  • Invenergy NE Offshore Wind: Lease OCS-562 at $4,892,700, which consists of 97,854 acres and is approximately 46.2 nm from Maine, and Lease OCS-567 at $5,889,000, which consists of 117,780 acres and is approximately 21.6 nm from Massachusetts. 

BOEM said that the wind areas have a combined potential to power more than 2.3 million homes. 

The Gulf of Maine is a thriving ecosystem that sustains many local economies and has some of the fastest wind speeds in the world. Thorough research, monitoring, and mitigation are imperative to ensuring responsible development in this region.   

Since BOEM kickstarted the planning and leasing process for potential offshore wind energy areas in the Gulf of Maine in 2019, there have been significant efforts to consult with Tribes and community, fisheries, labor, and environmental stakeholders. This comprehensive process resulted in an 80% reduction from the initial planning area and a 43% reduction from the subsequent Draft WEA. The Final WEA excluded Lobster Management Area 1, a key fishing ground for Maine’s lobstering industry, and important habitats for the North Atlantic right whale. 

BOEM announced the Final Sale Notice (FSN) in September for offshore wind leasing in the U.S. Gulf of Maine. The area included in the FSN is approximately 120,000 acres less than what BOEM proposed in its Proposed Sale Notice. BOEM said that the removals, informed by public comment and engagement meetings, prioritized the avoidance of offshore fishing grounds and sensitive habitats, as well as the facilitation of existing and future vessel transit, while still retaining sufficient acreage to support the region’s offshore wind energy goals. 

Resources 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Maine website.
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine

About New England for Offshore Wind 

New England for Offshore Wind (www.NewEnglandforOffshoreWind.org) is a broad-based coalition of businesses and associations, environmental and justice organizations, academic institutions, and labor unions committed to combatting climate change by increasing the supply of clean energy to our regional grid through more procurements of responsibly developed offshore wind. We believe that offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis and strengthen our regional economy, protect ratepayers, improve public health by reducing pollution, and create family-sustaining union jobs while fostering a diverse local and regional supply chain.