Norwegian oil major Equinor has been the provisional winner of one of the three leases offered in the US government’s wind lease sale for an area offshore the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and east of New York. This new lease is part of the company’s commitment to taking a leadership position in renewable energy development in the US. Two more successful bidders were Mayflower Wind Energy and Vineyard Wind for similarly-sized parcels, in a total participation of 11 companies.
Equinor submitted a winning bid of USD 135 million for lease OCS-A 0520, during the online offshore wind auction concluded today by the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Now the company will have the opportunity to explore the potential development of offshore wind farms in a strategic position, as it now holds leases within reach of some of the most important markets for offshore wind in the US.
We are excited to have secured this attractive opportunity, Equinor’s second offshore wind lease in the US. This acquisition complements our existing position on the US East Coast and gives us a foothold to engage in the Massachusetts and wider New England market, a region notable for its strong commitment to offshore wind,
…says Christer af Geijerstam, president of Equinor Wind US.
In December 2016, Equinor won the federal lease auction of 80,000 acres south of New York and east of New Jersey and is currently developing projects in that lease area for the offshore-wind markets in both states; Empire Wind in New York and Boardwalk Wind in New Jersey.
Last year, the Norwegian company commissioned the world’s first floating offshore wind farm off Scotland, a technology essential to the development of offshore wind in many locations around the world, including the west coast of the US. Equinor is also developing offshore wind in Poland, as well as solar energy in Brazil and Argentina.
