![]() “Those factors, combined with support from state governments, have created an attractive environment for offshore wind developers to enter the US market. “There is a huge electricity demand from major cities, continuous wind speeds offshore, and a shallow seabed which is ideal for installing turbines,” said Gabriel Martinez, a spokesman for the company. The current wave of developers includes Denmark’s Orsted, which is investing in the East Coast because of its reliable supply of wind, its proximity to populous markets, and its relatively shallow seabed that eases construction of turbine towers. It’s getting closer and closer to a reality,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club and a long-time advocate for the industry. ![]() “Close to 20 years ago, we started pushing the idea of offshore wind, and here we are. But after years of false starts, citizen opposition, and state and federal regulatory hurdles that left it decades behind its European counterparts, the US offshore wind industry is set to take off as East Coast states and the federal government step up efforts to boost production of carbon-free electricity. Today, the East Coast offshore wind industry has only two small pilot projects, one with five turbines off Block Island, Rhode Island and another with two turbines off Virginia. Projects totaling 11,000 megawatts have been awarded so far. ![]() ![]() New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland have together committed, through legislation or executive action, to buying about 30,000 megawatts of offshore electricity by 2035 - enough to power roughly 20 million homes, according to the American Clean Power Association, which advocates for renewable energy. The fledgling US offshore wind industry is finally poised to become a commercial reality off the northeast and mid-Atlantic coasts within the next five years, thanks to robust commitments to buy its power from seven coastal states, new support from the Biden administration, and billions of dollars in investment by an industry that sees a huge market for electric power in Eastern states. And off the Virginia coast some 200 miles to the south, a utility-led offshore wind project is scheduled to produce carbon-free power equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the road when it is complete in 2026. ![]()
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