The Biden Administration has unveiled a series of measures to accelerate the development of the US offshore wind industry including a new 2030 target, a pledge to open additional seabed acreage and fresh support for the local supply chain.
Washington on Monday said the Departments of Interior (DOI), Energy (DOE), and Commerce (DOC) have committed to a shared goal to deploy 30GW this decade, which the administration believes will put the country on a path to hit a higher 110GW target by 2050.
To hit the goal, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) plans to advance new lease sales and complete the review of at least 16 Construction and Operations Plans by 2025, representing more than 19GW of projects.
As a first step, BOEM has confirmed a new priority zone in the New York Bight, an area of shallow waters between Long Island and the New Jersey coast. A lease sale is expected in late 2021 or early 2022.
The agency has also announced a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Orsted’s 1.1GW Ocean Wind, putting it in line to become America’s third commercial scale offshore wind project after Vineyard and South Fork.
Meeting the 2030 target will trigger more than $12bn per year in capital investment in projects on both coasts, said the government.
The administration believes 44,000 workers will employed in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity.
The government said the investment in the US will include new port upgrades totalling more than $500m; one to two new US factories for major components including turbine nacelles, blades, towers, foundations, and subsea cables, and the construction of 4 to 6 specialised turbine installation vessels in US shipyards.
As part of the supply chain push, the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for port authorities and other applicants to apply for $230m for port and intermodal infrastructure-related projects.
Meanwhile, the DOE’s Loan Programs Office released a fact sheet to facilitate access for the offshore wind industry for $3bn in funding through the Title XVII Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said: “This offshore wind goal is proof of our commitment to using American ingenuity and might to invest in our nation, advance our own energy security, and combat the climate crisis.”
She added: “DOE is going to marshal every resource we have to get as many American companies, using as many sheets of American steel, employing as many American workers as possible in offshore wind energy-driving economic growth from coast to coast.”