The US Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) has selected 14 companies to hold the auction, for a 321-square Km offshore commercial wind lease in New York.
The companies include Dong Energy, Statoil, WPD, Fishermen's Energy, EDF, Iberdrola's Avangrid, Innogy, and Deepwater Wind, as well as CI-II NY, Convalt Energy, and Clean Power Northeast Development.
The lease area is in federal waters 21 kilometres off Jones Beach, New York and consists of five full Outer Continental Shelf blocks and 143 sub-blocks.
BOEM director Abigail Hopper said:
"New York is a critical component in building a robust US offshore wind industry."
The US's first offshore wind project, Block Island, also off north-eastern US, is expected to go online in November.