A computer-generated representation of a floating offshore wind turbine.
Courtesy of Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management outlined how its Oct.15 auction will work in a final sale notice released Tuesday.
Five companies have qualified to participate in the auction, bringing offshore wind development experience from around the world.
Avangrid, which is owned by the Spanish electric utility Iberdrola, is the co-owner of the Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts. That project was criticized recently after a blade detached from a turbine in mid-July, and truckloads of fiberglass debris washed up on shore, according to the Boston Globe.
Related: Feds will auction two wind energy sites off southern Oregon coast in October
Also in the bidding process is Ocean Winds North America, a developer of one of the first offshore wind projects off of the Central California coast. In 2022, five companies — including Ocean Winds — won leases to use areas off of Northern and Central California. BOEM got $757 million for that auction.
The other three companies qualified for the Oregon auction are BlueFloat Energy, Mainstream Renewable Power and South Coast Energy Waters I.
Once leased, the companies have five years for surveying and research before they must submit a construction and operations plan. After the wind turbines are online, the leases will last for 35 years, unless that timeline is changed under the operations plan.
This first offshore wind project has faced pushback from community groups and politicians in Oregon. Two November ballot measures will ask voters in Coos and Curry counties if their local officials should continue to oppose offshore wind. Tribes and fishing industry groups are also concerned about the impacts to marine life and the environment as these massive wind turbines are installed.
Related: Federal agency announces next steps for Southern Oregon offshore wind energy
Just like the California auction, companies will be able to offset up to 25% of their total bid through commitments to develop workforce training programs or agreements with local communities affected by the development of offshore wind.
The companies will have to submit a plan to achieve these commitments as part of their entry into the auction. The workforce training plan says companies will have to help train personnel for the floating offshore industry. This workforce must be made available to the entire industry, not just the company paying for them.
Companies can also commit to sign community benefit agreements with stakeholders including tribes, local governments and nonprofits, to minimize the impacts of offshore wind development locally. That could include helping the fishing industry with the cost of changing out their gear to adapt to working around floating wind turbines.
The online auction is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. on Oct. 15, and BOEM expects the auction to take one to two days.
