The South Fork Wind New York Bight lease auction begins February 23, 2022 and the Guice Offshore fleet of wind power-experienced, Jones Act-compliant and dynamically positioned offshore support vessels, supply vessels and platform vessels are ready to assist new leaseholders in maximizing their investments.
- To view the New York Bight leasing area maps, descriptive statistics and supporting documents, including lease and financial forms, click here.
- To view all regulatory information, including the list of qualified bidders (which is also reprinted below), click here.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was in East Hampton, New York on February 11, 2022 to commemorate the South Fork wind energy project groundbreaking, which marked the second commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project approved for federal waters in the United States.
The South Fork Wind project is located in offshore Rhode Island and New York and has a capacity of 130 megawatts of wind energy — enough to power over 70,000 homes and businesses. To visit the South Fork Wind website, click here.
South Fork New York Bight Offshore Wind Auction February 23
Next week, February 23, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold a wind energy auction of more than 480,000 acres in the New York Bight. The auction will allow offshore wind developers to bid on six lease areas – the most areas ever offered in a single auction (as described in BOEM’s Final Sale Notice). The output potential for lease areas offered in this sale could result in 5.6 to 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy–enough to power nearly 2 million homes. As offshore wind technology continues to advance, these areas may have the potential to produce even more clean energy.
New York Bight–A Shared Vision
- To read the Shared Vision document from the BEOM, New York and New Jersey for the future of offshore wind energy, click here.
The Shared Vision document explains plans for developing a robust offshore wind domestic supply chain that will deliver benefits to residents of New York and New Jersey and the surrounding region, including underserved communities. This collaboration will serve as a model for future engagement and establish the U.S. as a major player in the global offshore wind market.
The South Fork project represents another significant milestone in the United States’ progress toward a clean energy future, helping contribute to both the Biden-Harris administration’s and New York state’s renewable energy goals.
“America’s clean energy transition is not a dream for a distant future – it is happening right here and now,” said Secretary Haaland. “Offshore wind will power our communities, advance our environmental justice goals, and stimulate our economy by creating thousands of good-paying union jobs across the nation. This is one of many actions we are taking in pursuit of the President’s goal to improve both the lives of American families and the health of our planet.”
South Fork Wind Breaks Ground on Valentine’s Day
On February 14, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul joined Secretary Haaland and other elected officials to celebrate the start of construction of South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind project, jointly developed by Ørsted and Eversource off the coast of Long Island.
Building on the BOEM’s January issuance of the Final Sale Notice for the New York Bight–the recent key offshore wind contract milestone–and the State of the State announcement of a nation-leading $500 million investment in offshore wind ports, manufacturing, and supply chain infrastructure to accompany New York’s next offshore wind solicitation, New York continues to advance the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035.
“The harsh impacts and costly realities of climate change are all too familiar on Long Island, but today as we break ground on New York’s first offshore wind project we are delivering on the promise of a cleaner, greener path forward that will benefit generations to come,” Governor Hochul said. “South Fork Wind will eliminate up to six million tons of carbon emissions over the next twenty-five years benefiting not only the Empire State, but our nation as a whole. This project will also create hundreds of good-paying jobs, helping spur economic growth across the region as we continue to recover from COVID-19. This is a historic day for New York, and I look forward to continue working with Secretary Haaland as we lead our nation toward a greener, brighter future for all.”
A recent report indicates that the United States’ growing offshore wind industry presents a $109 billion opportunity in revenue to businesses in the supply chain over the next decade.
The New York Bight offshore wind auction will include several innovative lease stipulations designed to promote the development of a robust domestic U.S. supply chain for offshore wind and enhance engagement with Tribes, the commercial fishing industry, other ocean users, and underserved communities. These stipulations will also advance flexibility in transmission planning and make use of project labor agreements throughout the construction of offshore wind projects.
Stipulations include incentives to source major components domestically – such as blades, turbines, and foundations – and to enter into project labor agreements to ensure projects are union-built.
To advance the Department of the Interior’s environmental justice and economic empowerment goals, the Sale Notice also requires lessees to identify Tribes, underserved communities and other ocean users who could be affected by offshore wind development. The Interior Department will hold companies accountable for improving their engagement, communication and transparency with these communities.
These additions are intended to promote offshore wind development in a way that coexists with other ocean uses and protects the ocean environment, while also facilitating our nation’s energy future for generations to come.
BOEM initially asked for information and nominations of commercial interest for 1,735,154 acres in the Bight. Based on the bureau’s review of scientific data, and extensive input from the commercial fishing industry, Tribes, partnering agencies, key stakeholders, and the public, the BOEM reduced the acreage by 72 percent to avoid conflicts with ocean users and minimize environmental impacts. BOEM will continue to engage with stakeholders as the process unfolds.
Background
Early in 2021, the Biden-Harris administration catalyzed the offshore wind industry by announcing the first-ever national offshore wind energy goal, creating a clear vision for the future of this innovative industry. This goal is reinforced by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will make robust investments in sustainable economies, clean energy, and climate resilience.
Significant progress has already been made toward creating a pipeline of projects. The nation’s first two commercial-scale offshore wind projects in federal waters has been approved: the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project (approved on May 11, 2021) and the 130-megawatt South Fork Wind project (approved on November 24, 2021). BOEM expects to review at least 16 plans to construct and operate commercial offshore wind energy facilities by 2025, which would represent more than 22 GW of clean energy for the nation.
In addition, this past fall Secretary Haaland announced a new leasing path forward, which identified up to seven potential lease sales by 2025, including the New York Bight and offshore the Carolinas and California later this year, to be followed by lease sales for the Central Atlantic, Gulf of Maine, the Gulf of Mexico, and offshore Oregon.
BOEM expects to complete the review of at least 16 plans to construct and operate commercial, offshore wind energy facilities by 2025, which would represent more than 22 GW of clean energy for the nation.
Offshore lease sales will also take place in the Carolinas and California this year, while the federal government works with states, Tribes, ocean users, and key stakeholders to explore wind potential in the Gulf of Maine and in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as offshore Oregon and Hawaii.
Qualified New York Bight Bidders
Below is a list of the companies that have been prequalified to bid on the New York Bight leasing areas.
| Company name | Company No. |
|---|---|
| 547 Energy LLC | 15123 |
| Arevia Power LLC | 15129 |
| Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Bight, LLC | 15119 |
| Attentive Energy LLC | 15115 |
| Avangrid Renewables, LLC | 15019 |
| Bight Wind Holdings, LLC | 15112 |
| BP US Offshore Wind Energy LLC | 15122 |
| CPV Offshore Wind LP | 15114 |
| Diamond Wind North America, LLC | 15113 |
| East Wind LLC | 15076 |
| EDF Renewables Development, Inc | 15027 |
| Equinor Wind US LLC | 15058 |
| GIG Infrastructure HoldCo, LLC | 15125 |
| GW Offshore Wind LLC | 15121 |
| Horizon Wind Power LLC | 15081 |
| Invenergy Wind Offshore LLC | 15091 |
| Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind LLC | 15118 |
| OW Ocean Winds East, LLC | 15096 |
| PNE USA, Inc | 15056 |
| PSEG Renewable Generation LLC | 15132 |
| RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC | 15061 |
| SSE Renewables North America Offshore Wind LLC | 15124 |
| US Mainstream Offshore LLC | 15120 |
| US Mainstream Renewable Power Inc | 15089 |
| US Wind Inc | 15023 |
