Biden approves first major offshore wind farm in US

The US has taken an important first step towards seizing on its significant offshore wind potential by approving a new large-scale offshore wind project. The 800 megawatt Vineyard Wind will serve as a clear first step towards the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of 30 gigawatts of installed capacity of offshore wind power by 2030.

The project will be located approximately 22 kilometres from Martha’s Vineyard and 22 kilometres offshore Nantucket in the northern portion of Vineyard Wind’s lease area. It will create 3,600 jobs and provide enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses.

The approval of the $2 billion USD project comes as a relief for the developers, a joint venture between Iberdrola’s Avangrid utility and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, who have been struggling to get the project approved for many years. But it will also create a range of new challenges that centre around planning, permitting and community engagement issues, particularly around the areas where new infrastructure is required on land to transmit the power from the wind projects to land. A major New York wind power project, developed by Danish renewable powerhouse Ørsted, has encountered significant opposition from local communities opposing the burying of cables deep underneath beach areas.

The Biden administration is hoping to smooth out these issues as it will be relying heavily on an expansion of offshore wind to achieve its climate targets, including an 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035 zero carbon energy ambition.

“A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration’s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Today is one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans.”

“Today’s offshore wind project announcement demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis, while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals, and I’m proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind.”

In March this year, Biden announced a major expansion of wind power with the establishment of the 30 gigawatt capacity target by 2030. This is up from the approximate 22 gigawatts of US offshore wind that will be built off the back of strong state-level renewable policies, such as New York’s 9 GW by 2035 target, or New Jersey’s 7.5 GW by 2035 target.