The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced that TotalEnergies of France and Duke Energy Corp (DUK.N) of the US have been awarded offshore wind leases in federal waters off the coasts of North and South Carolina. The winning bids totalled $315 million, with Duke receiving $155 million and TotalEnergies receiving $160 million. This is TotalEnergies’ second offshore wind lease in the US in 2022.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held an 18-round lease sale which resulted in competitive winning bids totaling $315 million. TotalEnergies Renewables USA LLC acquired the 54,937-acre OCS-A 0545 lease area with a proposal of $160 million, while Duke Energy Renewables Wind LLC won the 55,154-acre OCS-A 0546 lease area with a bid of $155 million. The place is located in the Carolina Long Bay area, which is located off the coasts of North and South Carolina.
Duke Energy stated that its lease, which is located east of Wilmington, could support up to 1.6 GW of offshore wind energy by 2032. This is enough power to supply almost 375,000 homes.
In January 2022, DOI announced that the BOEM would run a wind auction for more than 480,000 acres off the coasts of New York and New Jersey in the New York Bight in February 2022. This marked the first offshore wind lease sale under the Biden-Harris administration.
REGlobal’s Views: US has a target to install 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and is planning large auctions to support this aim. The country has witnessed significant interest from developers, investors and manufacturers in this space.
