Economic Impact Study of New Offshore Wind Lease Auctions by BOEM (Wood Mackenzie)
A study released from research group Wood Mackenzie finds that the United States has an opportunity to accelerate offshore wind energy growth and benefit from 28 new gigawatts of clean energy and $1.7 billion in U.S. Treasury revenue by 2022.
Findings from this study confirm additional lease areas are needed to meet demand, reduce energy costs, increase competition, and ultimately generate thousands of jobs and billions in investment. Additionally, the findings offer guidance to decision-makers about new offshore wind leases, which can be a short-term solution to jump start recovery from a coronavirus pandemic-driven economic slowdown.
Commissioned by four energy industry groups, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), New York Offshore Wind Alliance (NYOWA), and the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind (SIOW) at the University of Delaware, the study dives into the economic impact of offshore wind activities as a result of potential Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease auctions in 2020, 2021 and 2022.