U.S. proposes first offshore wind lease sale in Gulf of Mexico

Reuters:

The United States on Wednesday proposed its first sale of offshore wind power development rights in the Gulf of Mexico, expanding the nascent clean energy industry to a major hub for oil and gas production.

The planned sale is part of the effort by President Joe Biden's administration to install wind turbines along every U.S. coastline as it seeks to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by the end of the decade.

The Interior Department released a proposed sale notice for a 102,480 acre area off of Lake Charles, Louisiana and two areas near Galveston, Texas of 102,480 and 76,786 acres.

Together, the proposed offshore sites could power nearly 1.3 million homes, the Interior Department said.

"There is no time to waste in making bold investments to address the climate crisis, and building a strong domestic offshore wind industry is key to meeting that challenge head on," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

The Gulf of Mexico's shallow waters and proximity to oil and gas infrastructure make it promising for expansion of a new offshore industry, government studies have found.

[Valerie Volcovici]

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