The construction of offshore wind farms is expected to supply more than ten million US households with environmentally friendly electricity by 2030, according to the White House. The aim is to produce 30 gigawatts of wind energy annually by then.
To achieve this goal, investments of more than twelve billion dollars are required along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. At the same time tens of thousands of new jobs would be created, according to President Joe Biden’s administration. The new wind farms are expected to reduce the United States’ CO2 emissions by 78 million tons.
Offshore as an “opportunity”: Climate advisor Gina McCarthy explained the US plans
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Only one offshore wind farm is currently fully operational in the USA: the “Block Island” farm, which was completed off Rhode Island at the end of 2016 and can produce 30 megawatts of electricity.
Several projects
The first phase of the “Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind” (CVOW) pilot project with a capacity of twelve megawatts was completed last year. The last construction phase should end in 2026, then the system should supply 600,000 households with energy. Additional projects off the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and North Carolina are under development.
The promotion of wind energy by the Biden government stands in stark contrast to the energy policy of ex-President Donald Trump, who repeatedly ridiculed renewable energies and described them as expensive and inefficient. Criticism continues to come from Trump’s Republicans, who warn of the ruin of the domestic economy as part of the move away from fossil fuels.
wa / bru (afp, dpa, rtr)
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