The first US offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico was a dud
There was only one bid in the first-ever US offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico today – here’s why it was a bit of a washout.
The three lease areas off Texas and Louisiana that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) auctioned today have the potential to generate around 3.7 gigawatts (GW) of clean power for almost 1.3 million households – but only one lease area had a single bid.
Germany’s RWE, one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers, won the rights to the 102,480-acre Lake Charles, Louisiana, offshore wind lease area with a winning bid of $5.6 million. The BOEM says that the Lake Charles lease area has the potential to generate 1.24 GW of offshore wind energy capacity and power nearly 435,400 homes with renewable energy.
The Lake Charles lease area is 44 miles off the Louisiana coast, and it has water depths of 33-82 feet (10-25 meters). RWE’s project is expected to be in operation by the mid-2030s, contingent upon permitting timelines.
Sam Eaton, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, said in a statement emailed to Electrek that RWE bid in the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind auction because it’s an opportunity to “enter the Gulf’s offshore wind industry at the ground floor to continue to work with partners to help shape this nascent market.”
Eaton added that “the region is well positioned to bolster its skilled energy workforce and world-class supply chain to unlock a new economic engine.” The state of Louisiana has set a goal to install 5 GW of offshore wind by 2035, and it also has existing coastal port and supply chain infrastructure.
However, none of the 15 companies that qualified to bid in the Gulf of Mexico auction offered on Galveston I and Galveston II off Texas.
The Southeast has low power prices, and Texas doesn’t have state policy that supports offshore wind development. In fact, some lawmakers are downright hostile:
Nor is Texas entertaining any plans to require utilities to buy power from offshore wind. And at a time when several planned offshore wind farms in the Northeast, for example, are being challenged by rising cost inflation, state support is vital.
In response to today’s auction, Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, said:
Today’s auction results show the important role state public policy plays in offshore wind market development.
The Network remains fully committed to offshore wind in the Gulf and to supporting our members forming the robust supply chain that is already instrumental to building out a new American energy industry.
Read more: Despite headwinds, offshore wind will see ‘massive’ growth to 2032 – report
Photo and map: RWE
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China just laid out a plan to roll out over 100,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations by 2027 – and they’ll all be open to the public.
The National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) joint notice, issued on Monday, asks local authorities to put together construction plans for highway service areas and prioritize the ones that see 40% or more usage during holiday travel rushes.
The NDRC notes that China’s ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure needs upgrading as more 800V EVs hit the road. Those high-voltage platforms can handle super-fast charging in as little as 10 to 30 minutes, but only if the charging hardware is up to speed.
China had 31.4 million EVs on the road at the end of 2024 – nearly 9% of the country’s total vehicle fleet. But charging access is still catching up. As of May 2025, there were 14.4 million charging points, or roughly 1 for every 2.2 EVs.
To keep the grid running smoothly, China wants new chargers to be smart, with dynamic pricing to incentivize off-peak charging and solar and storage to power the charging stations.
To make the business side work, the government is pushing for 10-year leases for charging station operators, and it’s backing the buildout with local government bonds.
The NDRC emphasized that the DC fast chargers built will be open to the public. This is a big deal because a lot of fast chargers in China aren’t. For example, BYD’s new megawatt chargers aren’t open to third-party vehicles.
As of September 2024, China had expanded its charging infrastructure to 11.4 million EV chargers, but only 3.3 million were public.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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Tesla is starting to experience some consequences for misleading Full Self Driving customers – at least that’s the finding of one arbitration ruling that has Tesla refunding one customer $10,000 plus legal fees for failing to deliver on their promises. Find out more on today’s legally challenging episode of Quick Charge!
An arbitration “court” found that Tesla misled customers with its Full Self Driving product, and has now been forced to refund at least one person’s $10,000 payment (plus legal fees) for the not-quite autonomous driving software. France, too, is piling on claims of deceptive business practices – but there’s some good news for FSD fans! If you’re still willing to pay for it, Tesla will thrown in 0% financing on a brand new Cybertruck.
Check out the relevant links, below, to learn more.
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