The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 2022
BOEM offshore wind auction used bid credits to buy community and supply-chain value.
BOEM held a multi-factor offshore wind auction where bidders earned credits for community and supply-chain deals; it drew $757.1m.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management · Equinor · RWE · Invenergy
the move
California's deep waters needed floating turbines, and BOEM had never sold a lease there; the federal government wanted the sale to also deliver workforce and community benefits.
So the auction had two dimensions: a cash bid plus non-monetary factors. Bidders could earn a 20% credit for a floating-wind supply-chain or workforce commitment, and 5% each for a Lease Area Use CBA and a General CBA, additive to a 30% cap.
The December 2022 sale offered five leases covering 373,267 acres. It drew $757.1m in high bids, mainly from European developers, and was the first offshore wind auction on the US Pacific coast.
why it works
- A single-price auction ignores the public value a developer could promise; credits make that value part of the bid
- Credits turn local jobs and community investment into a competitive advantage rather than an afterthought
- The 30% cap stops the credit becoming a discount that simply undercuts the cash bid
what transfers
An auction can price more than money: grant credits for the non-market commitments you want, so rivals compete on public value rather than price alone.
what came after
The auction drew record Pacific bids from Equinor, RWE, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Ocean Winds and Invenergy. The per-acre price was well below earlier Atlantic sales because of floating-wind risk and less state support, but the multi-factor format with community-benefit credits became BOEM's template for later sales off California and in other waters.
references
- BOEM Publishes Final Sale Notice for California Offshore Lease Areas
- European energy firms dominate landmark California offshore wind auction
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