The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced on Sept. 27 that it is delaying the planned auction of two wind energy areas offshore of Oregon due to lack of interest.
Only one of the five qualified companies expressed interest in bidding on the identified lease areas, according to BOEM.
Earlier that day, Gov. Tina Kotek had asked the federal government to cancel the wind auction set for Oct. 15 in southern Oregon and threatened to withdraw from a federal wind energy task force, citing concerns that the federal agency has rushed the process.
In a letter to BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein, the governor asked the agency to “halt all current leasing activities off the coast of Oregon and terminate the current offshore wind auction.”…