Today, the Biden-Harris administration completed its sixth offshore wind lease sale, marking a historic moment with the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) conducted the auction, resulting in over $21.9 million in winning bids for four lease areas.

Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, and Invenergy NE Offshore Wind emerged as the provisional winners, securing pivotal lease areas in the Gulf of Maine's first offshore wind auction. Together, these leased areas have the potential to provide clean energy to over 2.3 million homes.

Avangrid won Lease OCS-564 for $4.9 million, covering 98,565 acres, and Lease OCS-568 for $6.2 million, covering 124,897 acres—both located approximately 29.5 nautical miles from Massachusetts. The company will work to develop the lease areas, with the potential to deliver 3 Gigawatts of clean power.

“Avangrid is proud to secure two lease areas in today’s auction with the potential to deliver 3 Gigawatts of clean energy to the New England region, which affirms our position as a national leader in the United States’ offshore wind industry and builds on the Iberdrola Group’s global floating wind portfolio,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Securing these lease areas provides a unique opportunity to advance our growing business at a significant value, and reinforces our unwavering commitment to helping the New England region meet its growing need for reliable, clean energy.”

Meanwhile, Invenergy secured Lease OCS-562 for $4.89 million, spanning 97,854 acres about 46.2 nautical miles from Maine, and Lease OCS-567 for $5.88 million, covering 117,780 acres roughly 21.6 nautical miles from Massachusetts.

“Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, we’ve been dedicated to achieving our ambitious clean energy goals. With ten approved offshore wind projects capable of powering over 5 million homes, we are well on our way to a clean energy future,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “This successful auction marks yet another critical step in our fight against climate change. Together, we can create good-paying jobs, build a domestic supply chain, and ensure that the momentum of this offshore industry continues for generations to come.”

According to BOEM, the sale resulted in over $5.4 million in total bidding credits. These credits represent binding commitments by companies to invest over $2.7 million in workforce training and domestic supply chain development, along with an additional $2.7 million for fisheries compensatory mitigation. Additionally, lease stipulations require that the lessees make every reasonable effort to enter into a project labor agreement covering the construction stage of any project in the lease areas, develop communication plans for engagement with Tribes, agencies, and fisheries, and provide semi-annual reports on engagement activities with Tribes and communities.

Importantly, the leases awarded today do not authorize the construction or operation of any offshore wind facilities. Instead, they grant the right to submit a project plan for BOEM’s review. BOEM will develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the specific impacts of any project proposals before deciding whether to approve a proposed construction and operations plan. The EIS will be prepared in consultation with Tribes and appropriate government agencies, and will be informed by input from stakeholders, ocean users, and the public.