RWE wins bid on Gulf of Mexico’s first offshore wind energy lease

In Louisiana, Louisiana Illuminator reported that German company RWE won rights to the first ever offshore wind lease in the Gulf of Mexico, bidding $5.6 million for 102,480 acres in federal waters off the coast of southwest Louisiana.

The lease off the coast of Lake Charles has the potential to generate approximately 1.24 gigawatts of wind energy, enough to power nearly 435,400 homes, according to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Two other areas up for auction received no bids, according to the report.

Simon Mahan, executive director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association, said the next steps for RWE will be to conduct site assessments for the next few years and determine if there’s an appetite to move forward with construction.

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