Equinor has been announced as a provisional winner in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) offshore wind energy lease auction in the U.S. Central Atlantic region. The ~2 gigawatt (GW) lease will have the capacity to produce enough energy to power approximately 900,000 U.S. homes.
With a bid of $75,001,001 for 101,443 acres in the Atlantic Ocean, Equinor secured one of two fixed-bottom lease areas in the BOEM auction located 26 nautical miles from the mouth of the Delaware Bay.
Equinor will now work with BOEM to certify the lease, and after regulatory approvals, the Central Atlantic site would be added to Equinor’s existing U.S. offshore wind portfolio.
“Equinor is pleased to have been selected as the provisional winner of the Central Atlantic offshore wind lease auction. Equinor’s interest in this auction is consistent with our approach to pursue attractive offshore wind opportunities in the United States. The Central Atlantic region has a rapidly growing demand for electricity with widespread support for adding renewable sources of energy into the power mix,” said Molly Morris, President of Equinor Renewables Americas.
“Today’s announcement underscores Equinor’s commitment to delivering value through renewable projects. This is a long-term option with first power post 2035. Developing this lease area will draw upon Equinor’s proven capabilities in offshore wind. We will take a disciplined approach to minimize risk and mature a robust project in our portfolio,” said Pål Eitrheim, executive vice president of Equinor Renewables.
Equinor’s provisional win in the Central Atlantic builds off recent offshore wind milestones on the East Coast, with construction ongoing at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and offshore work underway to support the Empire Wind 1 project.
