New York State has unveiled an initiative to guide the development of 2.4GW of offshore wind by 2030.

Announced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan aims to power up to 1.2 million homes with clean energy.

He said it will responsibly and cost-effectively implement the procurement of at least 800MW of offshore wind over the next two years and support the city’s goal of sourcing half of its power from renewables by 2030.

The move is expected to create thousands of jobs in the region and around $15 million (£10.6m) will be committed to helping train these workers and to develop the state’s port infrastructure, which needs upgrading to cater to the construction of offshore wind farms.

Governor Cuomo said: “While the federal government continues to turn its back on protecting natural resources and plots to open up our coastline to drilling, New York is doubling down on our commitment to renewable energy and the industries of tomorrow.

“We are drawing upon our world-class workforce, unmatched intellectual capital, physical infrastructure and financial institutions to develop this increasingly affordable clean energy source that creates good paying jobs while protecting Long Island’s natural beauty and quality of life.”