Avangrid and Invenergy secure Gulf of Maine offshore wind leases

Avangrid Renewables and Invenergy NE Offshore Wind have won two lease areas each in the Gulf of Maine through a US government-led offshore wind lease sale conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). 

This sale marks the sixth offshore wind lease under the Biden-Harris administration and the first for commercial floating offshore wind on the Atlantic coast.

Avangrid acquired leases OCS-564 (98,565 acres) for $4.9 million and OCS-568 (124,897 acres) for $6.2 million. Invenergy won lease OCS-562 (97,854 acres) for $4.9 million, located 46.2 nautical miles from Maine, and OCS-567 (117,780 acres) for $5.9 million, situated 21.6 nautical miles from Massachusetts. Together, these leases have the potential to supply clean energy to 2.3 million homes, supporting the US President’s target of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind by 2035.

The auction generated $5.4 million in bidding credits, with $2.7 million allocated for workforce training and domestic supply chain enhancement, and $2.7 million for fisheries compensation. The leases permit project proposal submissions for BOEM’s review, and each project will require an environmental impact statement.

BOEM director Elizabeth Klein emphasized the importance of collaboration with states, tribes, and stakeholders in advancing offshore wind. The administration’s offshore initiatives included an August 2024 auction for 194,995 acres along Oregon’s coast, following a central Atlantic leasing round for 6.3 GW of offshore wind that generated $93 million.