(New York) The United States on Wednesday launched auctions for the operation of offshore wind turbines in six areas off the coasts of the states of New York and New Jersey, the largest operation of its kind ever conducted in the country.
Posted at 3:31 p.m.
Launched at 48.8 million dollars, the auction had reached 617 million dollars after eleven rounds in the afternoon.
They can potentially last until Friday according to the agency overseeing the process, the Office of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Up to 7 gigawatts
The six proposed zones represent nearly 2,000 square kilometers in a triangular area called New York Bight. If they are all exploited, they should be able to generate 7 gigawatts, enough to power nearly 2 million homes.
Nearly 25 companies have been authorized to participate in the operation, with European specialists such as Avangrid Renewables, Equinor ASA or EDF Renewables Development, as well as American groups such as Invenergy and Arevia Power.
The operation represents a symbolic step, “because it is the first auction organized by the federal government since 2018”, notes Lesley Jantarasami, specialist in the energy sector at the think tank Bipartisan policy center.
The Biden government pledged shortly after its inauguration to create the conditions to produce 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, she recalls.
“For a long time, everyone has been saying that this form of energy is about to take off, that there are a lot of investors, that European companies (more experienced than American companies on these projects, editor’s note) are ready to participate”, explains the specialist. “But we hadn’t seen the federal government take concrete steps to make it a reality. People want to see projects moving forward. »
Eleven companies had participated in the 2018 auction for the exploitation of three lots representing 390,000 acres off the coast of Massachusetts. Three of them won for a total of $405 million after 32 rounds.