Federal Government Green-Lights Construction Of Major Offshore Wind Farm Off Long Island

President Joe Biden‘s administration last week approved a major project to construct a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island as part of its wider efforts to generate 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030.

On Wednesday, the United States Department of the Interior announced that the South Fork Wind Project will consist of up to dozen turbines in the waters surrounding Block Island that will send power to parts of Suffolk County on the eastern half of Long Island, New York.

Orsted, an energy conglomerate located in the Netherlands, and New England power company Eversource are collaborating on the project, which will ultimately require approval from the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The approximately 130-megawatt South Fork Wind project will be located approximately 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, and 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York. It will create about 340 jobs and provide enough power for about 70,000 homes,” the Interior Department said in a statement.

“We have no time to waste in cultivating and investing in a clean energy economy that can sustain us for generations. Just one year ago, there were no large-scale offshore wind projects approved in the federal waters of the United States. Today there are two, with several more on the horizon. This is one of many actions we are taking in pursuit of the President’s goal to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans,’ said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

“Achieving the 30 GW goal can result in the creation of tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs across the country, as America moves to ramp up domestic supply chains for all aspects of offshore renewable energy development,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Mineral Management Laura Daniel-Davis. “Today’s announcement, coupled with critical investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help us meet our goals for sustainable economies, clean energy, and climate resilience.”