WASHINGTON , — Wednesday’s announcement by the Biden administration indicated that it will assist in developing seven offshore wind farms off the East and West coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. This is part of its plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030, enough to power more 10 million homes.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated at a Boston wind power conference that her department hopes she can hold lease sales for projects off the coasts of Maine and New York by 2025.
Officials stated that the projects, if approved and constructed, could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 78 million tons per year.
Haaland stated that the Interior Department was preparing an ambitious road map to help the administration advance its plans to combat climate change, create high-paying jobs, and accelerate the nation’s transition to cleaner energy. Interior is working towards achieving our big goals of a clean energy economy.
Haaland stated that the Interior Department works with other federal agencies to increase offshore wind energy production on public land. The goal is to produce at least 25 gigawatts onshore renewable energy from solar and wind power by 2025.
Haaland and Amanda Lefton (director of the department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) said that officials want to minimize potential conflicts with fishermen groups and other ocean users. Lefton stated that they will work with all parties to identify new areas of wind energy.
President Joe Biden set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (or 30,000 megawatts) of offshore wind power in the United States by 2030. The White House stated that the achievement of the target could create jobs for more than 44,000 people and 33,000 others working in related fields.
The bureau has completed the review of the construction and operation plan for Vineyard Wind off the Massachusetts coast. The agency is currently reviewing nine more projects, including the South Fork Wind farm near New York’s Long Island as well as the Ocean Wind project offshore New Jersey.
Vineyard Wind will produce approximately 800 megawatts and South Fork, about 132 megawatts. Ocean Wind, which is the largest project, has a total power output of 1,100 megawatts. This gives enough energy to power approximately 500,000 homes in New Jersey.
The administration has pledged to process the 13 additional projects currently under federal review by 2020.
According to the ocean energy agency, it plans to target offshore wind projects in shallow water near Long Island and New Jersey. According to the Interior Department, the region can support up 25,000 construction and development jobs by 2030.
Heather Zichal, an ex-climate adviser to President Barack Obama, is now the American Clean Power Association’s chief renewable energy group. She said that Biden’s goal of offshore wind was “ambitious, but achievable” and an important part of his goal to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035.
The Energy Department made a similar announcement. It announced that it will spend $11.5 million to study the risks of offshore wind development to birds, bats and marine mammals. Also, it will survey changes in the populations of commercial fish and marine invertebrates at an offshore wind site off the East Coast.
The department will spend $2,000,000 on visual surveys and acoustic monitoring to monitor the movements of seabirds and marine mammals at potential wind sites along the West Coast.
“Offshore wind is a great way for Americans to enjoy the benefits of coastal wind. However, it must be done in a manner that respects the environment and coexists with marine life and fisheries. This is exactly what this investment will do,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated in a press release.
