Offshore wind giant RWE Renewables and National Grid, British multinational electricity and gas utility, have unveiled the official name of their U.S. offshore wind joint venture, Community Offshore Wind.
This follows the success of the duo's joint bid in the New York Bight offshore lease auction last month, and, according to RWE, the name of the venture reflects "the benefits it will bring to local communities, with the tagline, "Local clean energy for all.""
In the NY Bight auction the joint venture secured area OCS-A 0539 with a winning bid of $1.1 billion. The awarded seabed has the potential to host 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, enough to power 1.1 million U.S. homes. The project is expected to be in operation toward the end of the decade.
"Our success with National Grid in the recent auction signals the start of our commitment to building a network of trust in the local communities," said Sam Eaton, RWE Executive Vice President, Offshore Development Americas. "We look forward to building our offshore business in the U.S., creating opportunities to deliver clean energy, good local jobs, and private investment."
"National Grid is deeply committed to the communities where we live and work," said Will Hazelip, Vice President of National Grid Ventures. "This name for our offshore wind joint venture with RWE reflects that focus, and it reminds us each day that we're here to responsibly develop projects that account for the needs of all of our stakeholder communities."
See below all the winning bids from the New York Bight offshore wind lease sale, courtesy of Intelatus Global Partners.