US Sets Sights on First Offshore Wind Auction in Gulf of Mexico

The United States has come up with a proposal for the first sale of offshore wind power development rights in the Gulf of Mexico.

The sale currently under planning is an effort towards Joe Biden's administration to set up wind turbines along all the coastlines of the USA, which looks to achieve 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.

The proposal is for a 102840 acre stretch of area (off Lake Charles, Louisiana). It will also include two other areas in proximity to Galveston in Texas.

It is held that the establishment of the offshore plant could power 1.3 million households. The Interior Secretary Deb Haaland shared that establishing a strong offshore industry is the answer to the climate challenge.

The shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico are promising and offer potential for the development of offshore industry, which has already begun to gather steam, given that a few Louisiana-based drilling firms helped set up the first offshore wind farm off Rhode Island Coast.

The NOIA (National Ocean Industries Association) President Erik Milito said that once this industry comes up, it will also create job opportunities along with investment opportunities and will complement the offshore oil and gas sector.

following the publication of the proposal, the public can take 60 days to respond. If the interior ministry gives the decision a go-ahead, a final notice will be published a month before the sale. The date when the sale begins and the firms that can participate in it will also be revealed.