2 companies bid $315M to develop wind power off Carolinas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of the Interior says two energy companies bid a combined $315 million in an auction for the rights to produce power from wind energy in two areas off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina. TotalEnergies Renewables USA paid a reported $160 million for 54,937 acres off the coast. Duke Energy Renewables Wind  bid $155 million for 55,154 acres. Specifically, the sites are 50 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and about 30 miles south of Bald Head Island in North Carolina. If fully developed, the leases could result in about 1.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power about 500,000 homes.