The Biden administration is planning to unveil a massive $3 trillion package that prioritizes green infrastructure including ambitious wind and solar power projects that will prioritize multiple offshore areas of the Atlantic coast.
Sweeping Offshore Wind and Solar Power Projects
On Monday, the Biden administration announced its intention to boost offshore wind and solar power projects that they say will create tens of thousands of jobs, while transitioning to clean energy. The administration is anticipated to unveil a new $3 trillion package that will make green infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions a priority. The plan is to massively scale up the amount of electricity the United States generates through wind and solar, The Hill reported. A large swath of the Atlantic Ocean has been targeted for wind farm development.
Currently, the US has 42 megawatts of power being generated by offshore wind. The new goal set by the Biden administration seeks to deploy and activate 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, the Huffington Post reported.
The Biden administration says its plan could create tens of thousands of new jobs while transitioning the country to clean energy.
New Offshore Wind Zones to Be Created Between New York and New Jersey
As part of its infrastructure plan, the Biden administration has designated a swath of ocean located between Long Island, New York and New Jersey as an offshore wind zone, the New York Times reported. The plan calls for installing 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind turbines in the coastal waters there by 2030. The administration anticipates creating enough clean electricity to power 10 million homes.
To finance the installations, the administration says it will offer $3 billion in federal loan guarantees for offshore wind projects, as well as for upgrading the nation’s ports in order to support wind construction.
Additional Projects: 2,000 Wind Turbines by 2030
Additionally, last month, the Biden administration approved the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm, which will be located off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The proposal calls for 84 large turbines with the capacity to generate 800 megawatts. The wind farm is slated to go online by 2023. The US already operates wind turbines near Block Island, Rhode Island.
Another 13 offshore wind projects have been proposed along the East Coast. The Interior Department estimates that by 2030, as many as 2,000 turbines could be in operation in the Atlantic Ocean.
