The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has postponed the planned auction for offshore wind energy leases off the coast of Oregon, attributing the delay to a lack of sufficient interest from bidders.

The announcement follows the Department of the Interior's release of the Final Sale Notice (FSN) on 29 August 2024, which had set the auction date for 15 October.

The FSN identified two lease areas and five companies that qualified to participate in the auction.

However, only one of these companies expressed interest in bidding following the FSN's release.

The Biden-Harris Administration has approved the country's first ten commercial-scale offshore wind projects since January 2021.

These projects are expected to generate around 15GW of clean energy, capable of powering an estimated 5.25 million homes.

The department has conducted five offshore wind lease auctions to date, including a record-breaking sale off the coasts of New York and New Jersey and the inaugural sales off the Pacific Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

In a statement, BOEM said: “In determining a future opportunity for a potential lease sale, BOEM will continue to collaborate with representatives from federal, state and local agencies and Tribal governments, to coordinate on potential leasing and support ongoing stakeholder engagement processes on broader offshore wind considerations, such as the state-led development of a strategic roadmap for offshore wind.”

Last month, BOEM signed a deal with the State of Maine to establish the country's first research lease for floating offshore wind energy.

The lease area spanned 15.2 square miles and was situated 28nm off the coast on the US Outer Continental Shelf.

According to BOEM, the Gulf of Maine lease has the potential to accommodate up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines, which could generate as much as 144MW of renewable energy.