The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has set the first-ever Oregon offshore wind energy lease auction for Oct. 15. BOEM said in a news release that the two lease areas being offered hold a potential capacity of more than 3.1 GW of energy generation if fully developed.
The Brookings Wind Energy Area (OCS-P 0567) totals 133,792 acres about 18 miles from the southern Oregon shoreline near the California border. The minimum bid is $6,689,600. The estimated installed generation capacity is 1.6 GW to 2.1 GW.
The Coos Bay Wind Energy Area (OCS-P 0566) totals 61,203 acres about 32 miles offshore, closer to Reedsport and Florence than to Coos Bay. The minimum bid is $3,060,150. The estimated capacity is 0.77 to 1 GW.
Water depth in the lease areas ranges from 1,860 to 5,022 feet — far too deep for the conventional fixed-bottom turbine foundations being installed in the first U.S. offshore wind farms, along the Northeast coast.
Development instead would rely on floating tower and anchor/mooring systems that still are being designed, potentially increasing the timeline, cost and complexity of any offshore wind construction off the Oregon coast.
In a July 2024 note to clients, research firm ClearView Partners said the immature technology, combined with the lack of a state-led solicitation and the uncertainty surrounding the November elections, could limit interest by potential bidders in an Oregon auction.
On the other hand, the strong offshore wind ambitions in neighboring California could attract greater interest in Oregon, ClearView wrote.
The final sale notice released Aug. 29 indicates that five entities are legally, technically and financially qualified to participate in the second Pacific Wind Lease Sale (PACW-2): Avangrid Renewables, BlueFloat Energy Oregon, OW North America Ventures, U.S. Mainstream Renewable Power and South Coast Energy Waters I.
This compares with 43 entities pre-qualified to participate in PACW-1 in December 2022, which involved five lease areas off the California Coast. Only seven entities participated in that auction; Avangrid Renewables was among them but stopped bidding after the 23rd round.
Five high bids totaling $757.1 million were submitted for the five lease areas, which span a combined 373,268 acres and hold a potential capacity of more than 4.6 GW. These, too, would require floating turbines.
