The Biden Administration has launched a new strategy to expand the US offshore wind industry.
The plan sets a target of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, a development that is forecast to trigger more than $12 billion (£8,7bn) per year in investment.
It is also predicted to create more than 44,000 jobs, generate enough energy to power ten million homes for a year and avoid 78 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
One of the first steps will be to open a new ‘wind energy area’ in the New York Bight, an area between Long Island, New York and New Jersey.
According to a recent study from Wood Mackenzie, the area can support up to 25,000 development and construction jobs by 2030.
The administration said it will also accelerate the project permits and will fund port infrastructure projects with $230 million (£167m).
Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland said: “For generations, we’ve put off the transition to clean energy and now we’re facing a climate crisis. It’s a crisis that doesn’t discriminate every community is facing more extreme weather and the costs associated with that.
“As our country faces the interlocking challenges of a global pandemic, economic downturn, racial injustice, and the climate crisis – we have to transition to a brighter future for everyone.”
National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said: “Nowhere is the scale of that opportunity clearer than for offshore wind. This commitment to a new, untapped industry will create pathways to the middle class for people from all backgrounds and communities.”
