The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a goal to expand the nation's fledgling offshore wind energy industry in the coming decade by opening new areas to development, accelerating permits, and boosting public financing for projects.
The blueprint for offshore wind power generation comes after the Biden administration's suspension of new oil and gas leasing auctions on federal lands and waters, widely seen as a first step to fulfilling the president's campaign promise of a permanent ban on new federal drilling.
The plan sets a target to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, which the administration said would be enough to power 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
One of the first steps will be to open a new offshore wind energy development zone in the New York Bight, an area off the densely populated coast between Long Island, New York and New Jersey, with a lease auction there later this year.
The administration predicted the nation would see port upgrade investments related to offshore wind of more than $500 million.
The administration said it will also aim to speed up project permits, including environmental reviews, and provide $3 billion in public financing for offshore wind projects through the Department of Energy.
The United States currently has just two small offshore wind farms, the 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island and a two-turbine pilot project off the coast of Virginia.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-targets-big-offshore-wind-power-expansion_3754398.html
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