Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Atlantic wind, Empire Wind, leases suspended, Revolution Wind, Secretary Burgum, Sunrise Wind, Vineyard Wind, Virginia Offshore Wind on December 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The suspended leases are for Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. (See the map below).These are the only Atlantic Wind projects under construction.
Given the $billions in expenditures to date and coastal State support for these projects, expect negotiated mitigations or litigation.
Posted in climate, energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Atlantic wind, February 2022 sale, highest grossing energy lease sale, irrational exuberance, turbine blade failure, Vineyard Wind, Virginia Offshore Wind, wind bubble on April 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Bidding at the February 2022 Atlantic (NY/NJ) wind sale seemed incomprehensible given the economic and political uncertainties associated with offshore wind development.The 6 leases garnered bids ranging from $285 million to an astounding $1.1 billion, with total high bids of $4.37 billion! The Administration’s victory message correctly boasted that this was the “nation’s highest grossing competitive energy lease sale in history.”
The intense bidding was driven by the lure of subsidies, guaranteed power sales, unprecedented Federal and State promotion, peak climate activism, inattention to mounting public opposition, and irrational expectations regarding the role of offshore wind in powering the regional economy.
That wind bubble has since burst, as demonstrated by the lackluster (at best) August 2024 Atlantic sale, the disinterest in Gulf of America wind leases, and recognition of the costly realities of floating turbine projects in the Pacific. Any air that remained in the balloon was released following the Presidential election.
The table below summarizes the sale results and the current status for the 6 leases issued following the 2/2022 sale. One lease has been essentially terminated by the partners and the State. The other leases are in holding patterns in the planning phases.
| high bidder | lease # | acres | bid ($millions) | status |
| Bluepoint Wind (EDP, ENGIE, Global Infrastructure Partners) | 0537 | 71,522 | 765 | Site Assessment Plan (SAP) review |
| Attentive Energy (Total and Corio Generation) | 0538 | 84,332 | 795 | Construction and Operations Plan (COP) review |
| Community Offshore Wind (RWE, National Grid) | 0539 | 125,964 | 1100 | no plans submitted |
| Atlantic Shores ( | 0541 | 79,351 | 780 | dead? |
| Invenergy | 0542 | 83,976 | 645 | no plans submitted |
| Vineyard Mid-Atlantic (Avangrid, Copenhagen Industy Partners) | 0544 | 43,056 | 285 | COP review |
The first US commercial offshore project, Vineyard Wind, has proven to be a major step backward for the wind industry. After being granted questionable financial and quality assurance waivers to reduce costs and “allow Vineyard Wind to adhere to its construction schedule,” the July 2024 turbine blade failure and subsequent lightning strike have raised new questions about the technology, industry, and regulatory regime. The report on the blade failure, which should arguably be a precursor to the resumption of Atlantic wind development, has yet to be released.
The one shining light, relatively speaking, for Atlantic wind development, has been Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. That large project is on track to be completed at the end of 2026. Although the cost has risen about nine per cent, to $10.7 billion, that increase is understandable given the higher than anticipated costs for upgrading the onshore network.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 