WASHINGTON – Providence-based Deepwater Wind New England has been named the provisional winner in an auction held Wednesday for two wind energy sites off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
“Our Deepwater Wind Energy Center Project will produce clean power and jobs for an entire region. It’s very exciting,” said Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski. “This is an enormous step forward for the industry. This is the best site for offshore wind in the United States, bar none.”
The auction held by the U.S. Department of the Interior was the first ever for commercial offshore wind development.
Deepwater Wind’s winning bid of $3.8 million for the two sites came in the 11th round of the competition.
Deepwater Wind paid a $900,000 deposit to participate in the auction, with the remainder of the bid amount to be paid in the coming months, when the official lease is signed for the sites, according to press release from the energy company.
The two sites are about 97,500 acres and 67,250 acres, located in the Wind Energy Area about 9.2 nautical miles south of the Rhode Island coastline, according to BOEM.
They are on the Outer Continental Shelf, between Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard.
Deepwater Wind was one of nine companies eligible to bid for the leases, although only three bidders participated in the auction. The other two companies participating in the auction were Sea Breeze Energy LLC and US Wind Inc.
The lease was awarded on a provisional basis because it has to be reviewed by the U.S. Attorney General in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission, with an antitrust review of the auction required in 30 days.
