RWE wins 1.6 gigawatt lease area in California offshore wind auction

Germany's RWE on Wednesday said it had secured a lease area to develop up to 1.6 gigawatt (GW) of floating offshore wind capacity in the United States, the world's No. 2 renewables market, where it recently made a $6.8 billion euro takeover.

"We have clear a ambition to establish RWE as a key player in offshore wind in the United States, one of the key strategic markets to grow our portfolio," said Sven Utermoehlen, who heads the offshore unit of RWE's RWE renewables division.

The winning bid over $157.7 million was part of a broader offshore wind auction dominated by European players, all eager to expand outside Europe to grow their green energy portfolios.

The lease brings RWE's U.S. offshore wind development portfolio to about 4.6 GW, also including the New York Bight seabed lease area it was awarded in February 2022, it said.

RWE, Germany's largest power producer, has ramped up its growth ambitions in the United States, making a $6.8 billion bid in October to buy the green energy arm of Con Edision ED that will make its the fourth-largest renewables player there.