Full list of companies participating in the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind lease auction:
- 547 Energy LLC
- Avangrid Renewables
- Coastal Offshore Renewable Energy (newly-formed entity with unclear backers)
- energyRe Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC
- Equinor Wind US
- Gulf Coast Offshore Wind (subsidiary of Dutch-based Repsol International Finance)
- Gulf Wind Offshore LLC (newly-formed entity with unclear backers)
- Hanwha Offshore North America LLC
- Hanwha Q CELLS USA
- Hecate Energy LLC
- Invenergy GOM Offshore Wind LLC
- RWE Offshore US Gulf, LLC
- Shell New Energies US LLC
- TotalEnergies Renewables USA, LLC
- US Mainstream Renewable Power, Inc (majority-owned subsidiary of Aker Horizons. Aker Offshore Wind was integrated into Mainstream)
The Gulf of Mexico offshore wind auction was never expected to draw the same level of interest as previous auctions in the Northeast, in part due to shallower waters, low wind energy potential, and hurricane risks. It could also be tied to industry-wide headwinds, like inflation and interest rates, that have led to the dissolution of power purchase agreements for several of the country's first projects.
While the Gulf of Mexico auction lasted just shy of two hours, the New York Bight offshore wind lease auction spanned 64 rounds over multiple days, leading to $4.37 billion in winning bids.
The Business Network for Offshore Wind, a nonprofit advocacy group, released a report on the offshore wind potential in the Gulf of Mexico in the days leading up to the auction which predicted "somewhat lower" bids than previous auctions along the East Coast. But the group said lower bids could provide needed space for developers to maneuver and innovate.
Renewable Energy World will continue to update this story throughout the day.