This weekend represents the one-year anniversary of a record-breaking auction for three lease areas off the coast of Massachusetts. Rights to develop the three lease areas sold for a combined $405 million, with winning bids coming from Mayflower Wind Energy, Equinor, and Vineyard Wind.

Washington - This weekend represents the one-year anniversary of a record-breaking auction for three lease areas off the coast of Massachusetts. Rights to develop the three lease areas sold for a combined $405 million, with winning bids coming from Mayflower Wind Energy, Equinor, and Vineyard Wind.

"Last year's auction results erased any doubts that harnessing the winds off America's shores offers a tremendous investment opportunity," said Laura Morton, AWEA's Senior Director for Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Offshore. "But this represents more than a big investment—it means well-paying American jobs, a new U.S. supply chain, and a homegrown clean energy source. The Department of Interior can expedite the creation of these benefits by holding firm to its directives to create a predictable regulatory environment throughout the energy sector, continuing to advance offshore wind projects under development, and conducting lease auctions as promised early next year."

Earlier this year, AWEA joined the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), and Consumers' Energy Alliance (CEA) in sending letters to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross calling for them to recognize the economic benefits of offshore wind to the Gulf Coast and other coastal states and throughout the U.S. as well as the tremendous role offshore wind can play in strengthening American energy dominance with affordable, reliable, safe, secure, and clean domestic energy.

AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. We represent 1,000 member companies and over 114,000 jobs in the U.S. economy, serving as a powerful voice for how wind works for America. Members include global leaders in wind power and energy development, turbine manufacturing, and component and service suppliers. They gather each year at the Western Hemisphere's largest wind energy event, the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, next in Denver, June 1-4, 2020. WINDPOWER 2020 will be housed within CLEANPOWER, the new exhibition hub for utility-scale renewable energy, bringing together wind power, solar power, and energy storage industries. Find information about wind energy on the AWEA website. Gain insight into industry issues on AWEA's blog, Into the Wind. And please join us on Facebook and follow @AWEA on Twitter and LinkedIn