Proposal for the Gulf’s first lease sale will leverage U.S. expertise and lead to industry-wide innovation
BALTIMORE — The Business Network for Offshore Wind, the leading national organization working to accelerate offshore wind energy deployment and build a dedicated supply chain in the U.S., applauds today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) of the first proposed offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The DOI identified up to 300,000 acres available for lease off the Texas and Louisiana coast which could power nearly 1.3 million homes with offshore wind energy. Today’s announcement was among a number of other Biden-Harris Administration actions released today that will advance offshore wind in the Gulf and West Coast, and the U.S. floating turbine industry.
This announcement reaffirms the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to expanding offshore wind throughout the U.S. and opens new opportunities for supply chain development. Released yesterday, the Network’s 2023 U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report showed that 24 percent of all U.S. contracts in the offshore wind industry are already going to Gulf and southern businesses, including major shipbuilding in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, as well as Texas, where construction of the first substation is taking place near Corpus Christi.
The following statement can be attributed to Liz Burdock, founder and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind:
“The advancement of an offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico is a game changer. Gulf companies are already instrumental in the development of the U.S. market and by opening new lease areas on their doorstep will unleash innovation on a scale we have not seen anywhere in the world. The result will be game-changing innovations that will make the entire industry more efficient and less expensive while maintaining strong safety and environmental protections and leading to substantial export opportunities for American businesses.
We look forward to BOEM’s continued work advancing the lease areas and encourage the agency to maintain the maximum potential developable acreage while it coordinates with other ocean users.”
For more information or to arrange an interview with the Network, contact Melinda Skea at melinda@offshorewindus.org or 202-709-9793.
More information:
- Department of Interior Press Release
- Business Network’s 2023 U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report (report is available to press at request)
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The Business Network for Offshore Wind is the largest non-profit organization dedicated solely to building a robust offshore wind supply chain and expanding adoption of offshore wind energy. It advances the industry through collaboration, education, and innovation, including the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF), the leading offshore wind conference in North America, and the OSW Market Dashboard. Learn more at offshorewindus.org.