BOEM Announces Next Steps for Offshore Wind in Gulf of Mexico

Today, The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that the agency received an unsolicited lease request from Hecate Energy Gulf Wind LLC (Hecate Energy) to acquire commercial wind energy lease(s) on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico. The areas are located off the coast of southeast Texas and had been previously identified by BOEM as potential Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) suitable for offshore wind leasing in 2021. This requires a Request for Competitive Interest (“RFCI”) seeking comments and input on competitive interest that will be published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2024.

GNO, Inc. and GNOwind Alliance members applaud BOEM for advancing wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico through the unsolicited proposal brought forth by Hecate, which would bring forth the next set of federal wind energy projects. The positioning of these areas off Southeast Texas, brings another Gulf state into the fold which can support wider regional planning. GNOwind members look forward to supporting interstate dialogue on the best ways to engage, support, and spur economic development around this emerging industry.

These developments, including the cancellation of the next competitive auction for wind energy areas, come at a moment whereby tremendous momentum has been achieved in such a short time: Louisiana has begun its comprehensive Louisiana Offshore Wind Roadmap, the Department of Energy has started to assess transmission needs to support offshore wind energy, the State of Louisiana has entered into two operating agreements for state-water projects, and a recent Supply Chain Assessment supported by GNO, Inc. shows tremendous potential for Louisiana workers and businesses. These advancements provide greater clarity and certainty to support market development in the Gulf of Mexico, in addition to the existing Federal lease held by RWE.

GNOwind will continue to work closely with state and federal partners to advance the offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Mexico, including serving on the Advisory Committee of the Louisiana Offshore Wind Roadmap.

GNOwind Program Manager Cameron Poole released the following statement regarding the release of the PSN:

“These are objectively exciting developments, and demonstrate the ingenuity being deployed to find creative solutions for OSW in the Gulf of Mexico. 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.”