First-ever offshore Oregon wind energy projects set for auction

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – For the first time ever, two wind energy projects will be up for auction off the Oregon coast, the Department of Interior announced Thursday.

The two projects, offshore Coos Bay and Brookings, will be auctioned Oct. 15, 2024, by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, giving bidders the chance to build floating wind turbines.

The auction marks the latest wind energy lease sale in the United States, with the Oregon projects projected to generate more than 3.1 gigawatts of renewable energy, which could power one million homes.

“Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Interior Department has worked diligently to support the undeniable enthusiasm for a clean energy transition that will help address the climate crisis and create good-paying, family-sustaining jobs in every corner of America,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “The advancement of the first offshore wind sale in Oregon marks years of engagement with state partners, Tribes, ocean users and industry, and the Administration’s commitment to building a thriving and sustainable clean energy industry.”

So far, the department has approved the first nine commercial scale offshore wind projects in the United States under the Biden administration.

The department has held five offshore wind lease sales, including offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, with additional progress towards in auction in the Gulf of Maine.

The Final Sale Notice is the last step before the sale, which will be released Sept. 3 for the projects offshore Coos Bay and Brookings.

The Coos Bay space is over 61,000 acres and located about 32 miles from shore. The Brookings location is more than 133,000 acres and is around 18 miles from shore.

BOEM will offer bidding credits for bidders who enter community benefit agreements, invest in workforce training, or supply chain development.

Bidding credits will also be offered for project labor agreements, and require engagement with tribes, underserved communities, and ocean users.

The upcoming auction comes after the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians said in February that they were “extremely disappointed” after federal plans were finalized to build the offshore projects .

While BOEM previously said their proposal was developed with feedback from several stakeholders including the state, Tribes, residents, and members of the fishing industry, the Tribe argued that BOEM did not meaningfully engage with them during the planning process.

“BOEM’s press release states that it has ‘engaged’ with the Tribe, but that engagement has amounted to listening to the Tribe’s concerns and ignoring them and providing promises that they may be dealt with at some later stage of the process,” Tribal Council Chair Brad Kneaper said in a Feb. 13 press release. “BOEM has failed to recognize that wind development has impacted the Tribe and has failed to assure that wind energy development will do good and not harm the Tribe, its members, and the greater coastal community. The Tribe will not stand by while a project is developed that causes it more harm than good – this is simply green colonialism.”

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