U.S. offshore wind energy has officially gone bi-coastal, with the U.S. Interior Dept. set to auction on Dec. 6 five ocean areas totaling 373,268 acres off northern and central California that it says could produce more than 4.5 GW of clean power and would be America's first development on the Outer Continental Shelf using floating wind turbines.
Developer interest is high with 43 bidders qualified to vie for five leases, located in three deep-water areas off Morro Bay in central California and in two areas off Humboldt Bay in the northern part of the state, located about 20 miles offshore, said the department in announcing its final auction notice on Oct. 18.