NEW ORLEANS — On July 26, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced it has received an unsolicited lease request from Hecate Energy Gulf Wind to acquire one or more commercial wind energy leases on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. The areas are located off the coast of southeast Texas and had been identified by BOEM in 2021 as potential Wind Energy Areas suitable for offshore wind leasing.
The request requires a Request for Competitive Interest (“RFCI”) seeking comments and input on competitive interest.
Greater New Orleans, Inc. and the GNOwind Alliance cheered the news.
“The positioning of these areas off Southeast Texas, brings another Gulf state into the fold which can support wider regional planning,” said a GNO, Inc. spokesperson in a press release. “GNOwind members look forward to supporting interstate dialogue on the best ways to engage, support, and spur economic development around this emerging industry.”
GNO, Inc. said there’s “tremendous momentum” in the industry. Louisiana has begun its comprehensive Louisiana Offshore Wind Roadmap, the Department of Energy has started to assess transmission needs to support offshore wind energy, and a recent Supply Chain Assessment shows great potential for Louisiana workers and businesses.
“These are objectively exciting developments, and demonstrate the ingenuity being deployed to find creative solutions for OSW in the Gulf of Mexico,” said GNOwind Program Manager Cameron Poole. “The proposal by Hecate Energy demonstrates continued interest by developers to serve the Gulf market, and the forgoing of GOMW-2 will ensure that future competitive opportunities to secure lease rights will be best aligned with regional and local activities that are crucial to the success of any offshore wind development.”