The US Department of the Interior (DOI) said on 17 June that it had reached an agreement with Invenergy under which the developer will relinquish four offshore wind leases in exchange for a USD 765 million (approximately EUR 664 million) reimbursement and redirect the capital into natural gas and geothermal energy projects.
The settlement covers lease areas in the New York Bight, offshore California’s Central Coast and the Gulf of Maine. According to the DOI, Invenergy will invest the reimbursed funds in natural gas-fired power plants in Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, as well as geothermal projects in the western United States.