Wind farms will be on both coasts, Gulf of Mexico
With nearly 100,000 miles of shoreline, it would stand to reason that the U.S. could generate a lot of power from offshore wind farms. The Biden administration is ready to start doing just that, with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announcing that the U.S. will sell as many as seven leases by 2025 up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico.
“I look so forward to our future together and to making so much progress that we will be unstoppable,” Haaland said Wednesday at the American Clean Power Association wind energy conference in Boston.
The new offshore wind farms will be part of Biden’s plan to generate 30 gigawatts of energy from wind by 2030, which would reduce carbon emissions by tens of millions of metric tons and create about 80,000 jobs. The projects will be in Maine, New York, the Carolinas, California, Oregon, and along the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
“The Interior Department is laying out an ambitious road map as we advance the administration’s plans to confront climate change, create good-paying jobs and accelerate the nation’s transition to a cleaner energy future,” Haaland said. “We have big goals to achieve a clean energy economy, and Interior is meeting the moment.”
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will oversee the lease sales. It plans to review at least 16 offshore wind project proposals by 2025. BOEM said it will meet with fishing associations and others whose livelihood depends on the oceans frequently to ensure good communication and dispute resolution.
“This means we will engage early and often with all stakeholders prior to identifying any new wind energy areas,” director Amanda Lefton said in a statement.
In May, the U.S. approved the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind projects off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, and in June announced a lease sale in the New York Bight between New York and New Jersey that could generate up to 7 gW of wind power.
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