US Sells Just One Offshore Wind Lease in Gulf of Mexico Auction

The first-ever US government auction of leases to build wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico ended with only one tract sold, a blow for advocates cheering on renewable-power development in the region.

RWE Offshore US Gulf LLC won a 102,480-acre (41,472-hectare) tract near Lake Charles, Louisiana, for $5.6 million, after just two rounds of bidding. The area has room for enough turbines to generate approximately 1.24 gigawatts of power, which could supply nearly 435,400 homes.

The results reflect the technological challenges of erecting turbines in the Gulf, despite the opportunity to take advantage of the region’s rich infrastructure and …