Offshore Wind

OFFSHORE WIND

Today, onshore wind power is the most productive renewable energy source in America, generating nearly half of its renewable energy. In 2022, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA),renewable energy sources accounted for about 20.1% of all electricity generated (primarily from wind, solar & hydropower) --of which 9.2.% was from wind, up from 8.4% in 2019 . The growth of wind power has been astonishing – especially when you consider that wind energy only made up 0.2% of U.S. electricity generating capacity in 1990. The U.S. is now investing more in a clean energy transition than any other country in the world except China --which has got us seriously beat.

Offshore wind is well developed in other parts of the world but just getting started in the U.S.  Our explosion is about to occur.

The first five turbines, a 30 MW project developed by Deepwater Wind (now owned by Orsted) went live in 2016 providing 100% energy to Block Island with the excess going to Rhode Island’s mainland.  Two years later, in 2018, Amory B. Lovins, co-founder and chief scientist at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization that advises on renewable energy, said, “We could run the whole East Coast on offshore wind.”  His words were prescient although we did endure four years of apparent federal inactivity from 2017-2020.

This changed after Biden’s election in 2021 with the administration moving swiftly to announce a goal of 30 GW from offshore wind by 2030.

  • In May, 2021, BOEM had approved Vineyard Wind, calling for 84-turbines to be installed in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Together, they have the ability to generate about 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes.
  • Also in May, BOEM gave its blessing to two areas off the California coast.
  • By October, 2021,  Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said that her agency will begin to identify, demarcate and hope to eventually lease federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Maine and off the coasts of the Mid-Atlantic States, North Carolina and South Carolina, California and Oregon, to wind power developers by 2025.
  • By January, 2022, BOEM’s review of the South Fork Wind Farm, a 15-turbine, 132 MW project southeast off Long Island, with a cable landing in Wainscott, a hamlet within the Town of East Hampton, was complete and approved. Despite a significant amount of litigation, construction is proceeding and Orsid operations are scheduled to begin at the end of 2023 powering 70,000 New York homes.
  • In February, 2022, the U.S. netted a record $4.37 billion from the sale of six additional offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. When these turbines are built and operational, the auctioned acres are expected to generate up to 7,000 megawatts, enough to power nearly 2 million homes. The Interior Department has said between that project and others currently under review, it hopes to see some 2,000 turbines churning from Massachusetts to North Carolina by the end of this decade.
  • On October 18-19, 2022, the Offshore Wind Power Conference & Exhibition takes place at the convention center in Providence Rhode Island. And, the day before, you can take a boat tour to see America’s first five offshore wind turbines at Block Island.
How do offshore wind turbines work?

CURRENT NEWS

Most of the world’s wind is over deep water. Floating machines can harvest it.

By William Booth 09/26/23
The Norwegian prime minister and the country’s crown prince were sweating like everyone else, zipped into their North Sea survival suits as they boarded the helicopters to take us out to see the future.
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States Beg Biden to Bolster Offshore Wind While Projects Flounder

By Jennifer A Dlouhy 09/15/23
Six US governors have implored President Joe Biden to boost support for the fledgling offshore wind industry amid growing concerns that surging costs imperil multi-billion dollar projects planned for coastal Atlantic waters — and the…
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Offshore Wind’s Rough Summer, Explained – Inside Climate News

By Dan Gearino 09/14/23
Some big offshore wind projects have recently run into the challenges of rising interest rates and delays in getting key components, and developers say some projects no longer make financial sense.
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East Coast govs urge Biden to aid troubled offshore wind

By Heather Richards 09/14/23
Six Democratic governors are warning the White House that the offshore wind industry could falter without rapid government help to offset rising prices.
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Podesta: Offshore wind economics ‘will work out’

By Kelsey Tamborrino 09/07/23
The Biden administration remains confident in the future of U.S. offshore wind despite economic challenges and supply chain constraints that have prompted reevaluations of projects across the industry, White House senior adviser John Podesta said…
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US Offshore Wind Slammed by Runaway Costs

By Will Wade and Jennifer A Dlouhy 09/07/23
The US offshore wind industry, banking on a big boost from the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, has found itself face-to-face with a major hurdle that’s been right there in the name all along: inflation.
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California is going big on offshore wind. That’s good for climate, but not enough

By Sammy Roth 09/07/23
Heading into Labor Day Weekend, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a deal with legislative leaders that could prompt construction of California’s first offshore wind farms — an expensive but valuable resource that researchers have found…
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The world’s largest wind turbine set a new electricity generation record – during a typhoon

By Michelle Lewis 09/05/23
Goldwind’s GWH252-16MW intelligent wind turbine has a rotor diameter of 252 meters (827 feet). It also has a swept area of around 50,000 square meters (538,195 square feet) – the equivalent of seven standard football…
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Want to Understand Clean Energy Anxiety? Look at the Jersey Shore.

By Elizabeth A. Cerceo 09/05/23
This summer, as my children splashed in the freakishly warm ocean waves by the beautiful Victorian seaside town of Cape May, N.J., angry protesters gathered a few towns away.
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Offshore Wind Auction for the Gulf of Mexico Gets a Tepid Response

By Lisa Friedman 08/29/23
The first auction of leases for wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Biden administration had heralded as part of its effort to expand clean energy, ended on Tuesday with just one of…
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Feds Okay New Wind Farm

By Christopher Walsh 08/24/23
The federal Department of the Interior announced its approval on Tuesday of Revolution Wind, a 704-megawatt offshore wind farm about 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, R.I. It is to provide electricity sufficient to…
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DOI Approves Major Offshore Wind Project

By Sydney Leimbach 08/23/23
The Department of the Interior has approved the Biden administration’s fourth major offshore wind development, the Revolution Wind project, off the coast of Rhode Island.
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KEY RESOURCES

Offshore Wind Market Report:2023 Edition

08/24/23
The Offshore Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition provides detailed information on the U.S. and global offshore wind energy industries to inform policymakers, researchers, and analysts about technology, economic, and market trends.

A Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in the U.S.

08/22/23
The United States has untapped potential to expand offshore wind infrastructure and pave the way for the reliable production of renewable energy close to major urban centers. Investing in offshore wind also has the potential…

Welcome to Offshore Wind Training New York

03/29/23
This website, supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), will introduce you to career pathways and training opportunities in the growing offshore wind industry to help jumpstart or further your…

Frequent Questions—Offshore Wind and Whales

03/13/23
Frequently asked questions about interactions between offshore wind energy projects and whales on the East Coast.

Reducing or Avoiding Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy on Fisheries

06/28/22
BOEM, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and affected coastal states, will be holding meetings to discuss draft guidance for ways to mitigate impacts from offshore wind projects on commercial and recreational fisheries…

Deepwater Wind South Fork, LLC

05/16/22
Application of Deepwater Wind South Fork, LLC for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the Construction of Approximately 3.5 Miles of Submarine Export Cable from the New York State Territorial Waters Boundary…

Our offshore wind projects in the U.S.

05/13/22
We own and operate the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm, and are the leading developer in the U.S. with ~5,000MW of awarded capacity through seven projects on the East Coast. Our…

About South Fork Wind

05/13/22
South Fork Wind brings unparalleled experience to Long Island. The 132 MW offshore wind farm will address East Hampton's energy needs, producing enough clean energy to power 70,000 homes. When complete, the 12 turbines will…

Offshore wind power facts

05/13/22
Offshore wind is America’s next major energy source, representing a generational opportunity to create jobs and bolster the economy. It is an abundant clean energy solution for large population centers looking to source more of…

Offshore Wind in New York

05/10/22
Long Island is poised to play a central role in the development of offshore wind (OSW) in New York State. Governor Cuomo has set an ambitious goal of 9,000 megawatts from OSW in New York…

MORE NEWS

SouthCoast Wind Asks R.I. Court to Overturn Pause of Contract Consideration

By Rob Smith   08/21/23  
An offshore wind developer has asked the Rhode Island Supreme Court to overturn a decision by state energy regulators to pause consideration of its application for an offshore wind project with an export cable that…
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‘Adding Insult to Injury:’ R.I. Needs Renewable Energy

By Tyson Bottenus   08/21/23  
For years, the residents of Rhode Island have had their sights set on offshore wind coming to our state to power pretty much everything. We got our first taste in 2016 with the Block Island…
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In the waters off Massachusetts, a hunt for foreign ships building wind farms

By Thomas Lee   08/19/23  
In the waters off Massachusetts, a hunt for foreign ships building wind farmsDomestic manufacturing group eyes Vineyard Wind for violations of the century-old Jones Act, and why that matters for clean energy jobs in New…
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Wind Power World Record Marks A Massive Leap Forward

By Will Lockett   08/18/23  
The expansive plains of Denmark are home to a true giant. This colossus stands twice as high as the Statue of Liberty, though, unlike the Lady on a Pedestal, it moves with the wind. I…
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BOEM identifies two wind energy areas with up to 2.6 GW of potential offshore Oregon

By Diana DiGangi   08/16/23  
The Bureau of Ocean Management announced Tuesday that it has identified two draft areas for potential wind leases offshore southern Oregon, encompassing around 219,000 acres with a potential to add up to 2.6 GW of…
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BOEM Identifies Draft Wind Energy Areas Offshore Oregon for Public Review and Comment

08/15/23  
As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today…
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This state is about to get the nation’s biggest-ever offshore wind farm — with enough energy to power nearly 400,000 homes

By Tina Deines   08/11/23  
The Biden administration recently approved what will become the nation’s largest offshore wind farm to date, with the capacity to power hundreds of thousands of homes.
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Bird-friendly offshore wind is possible, National Wildlife Federation advocate says

By YCC Team   08/09/23  
Helen Rose Patterson of the National Wildlife Federation says offshore wind is a promising way to reduce climate-warming carbon pollution. But turbines can also create risks for birds, so she says it’s important to prevent…
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The future of East Coast wind power could ride on this Jersey beach town

By Kate Selig   08/08/23  
Known as “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” this beachside city now has a new distinction: It has become the epicenter of opposition to wind energy projects off New Jersey and the East Coast. Residents of Ocean…
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Wind Farms Here Hit Milestones, While Others Hit Turbulence

By Michael Wright   08/02/23  
The construction of the South Fork Wind Farm reached another milestone last week, while a second offshore wind farm that will send power to Long Island took its first concrete step toward construction — even…
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Offshore wind could supply 25% of U.S. power by 2050 — study

By Heather Richards   08/02/23  
Offshore wind could supply up to 25 percent of U.S. electricity demand by the middle of the century without spiking the wholesale cost of electricity, a new report found.
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces First Ever Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Gulf of Mexico

07/20/23  
The Department of the Interior announced today it will hold the first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico, advancing the Biden-Harris administration’s work to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind…
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How Tucker Carlson (and NIMBYs) are blocking offshore wind

By Debra Kahn   07/18/23  
A politically potent, curious-bedfellows coalition is forming to block offshore wind projects across the country. POLITICO’s E&E News’ Ben Storrow traces the movement’s growth, from a handful of commercial fishing interests and beach groups to…
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Energy industry uses whale activists to aid anti-wind farm strategy, experts say

By Shanti Escalante-De Mattei   07/17/23  
One night in late March, J Timmons Roberts, a professor of environmental studies at Brown University, stepped in to a high school gymnasium in a small seaside town in Rhode Island. He was there to…
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Maine’s first offshore wind target set to shake up industry

By Heather Richards   07/17/23  
Maine’s offshore wind ambitions are poised to accelerate in a move that could help catalyze the nascent floating offshore wind sector in the Atlantic Ocean. The state is expected to pass a law soon setting…
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SouthCoast Wind Offshore Project Application Approval Put on Hold

By Rob Smith   07/14/23  
State energy regulators this week decided to delay approval of a proposed offshore wind project that would have run an export cable along the bottom of the Sakonnet River.
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Lawsuits could delay the start of New Jersey’s first offshore wind power project

By Wayne Parry   07/12/23  
A tangle of litigation could delay the start of New Jersey’s first offshore wind energy project, as developer Orsted is suing governments to stop delaying necessary permits, and citizens groups try to halt the project…
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Biden approved the largest offshore wind project in the US to date

By Ananya Bhattacharya   07/06/23  
The Biden administration just approved the biggest offshore wind project in the US. Located about 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City, the Ocean Wind 1 project offshore New Jersey will have a capacity of…
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Maine’s governor vetoes offshore wind bill, breaking with Biden’s labor pledge

Analysis by Maxine Joselow   06/28/23  
Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Monday vetoed a bill that sought to boost the state’s offshore wind industry, saying the measure could exclude a majority of the state’s construction workers because of its labor standards.
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Union jobs essential for offshore wind

By Matthew Aracich   06/26/23  
The rapidly growing renewable energy industry brings with it a wave of possibility for the type of good-paying careers that can support families and uplift entire communities. New York’s unions remain committed to collaborating with…
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For the wind farm industry in Mass., it’s back to square two

By Jon Chesto   06/25/23  
Blades as long as football fields are arriving on New Bedford’s waterfront. Foundations for the first three skyscraper-sized towers were just installed at the bottom of the sea south of Martha’s Vineyard. And a transmission…
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State backs $3.3 billion cable plan to carry offshore wind power from Long Island to upstate

By Mark Harrington   06/21/23  
P Parts of western and central Long Island are slated to become the backbone of a sprawling new network of high-voltage cables for offshore wind energy in a $3.26 billion project that officials said also…
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Vineyard Wind puts ‘steel in the water’

By Benjamin Storrow   06/08/23  
The country's first major offshore wind project began installing turbine foundations Wednesday, marking a significant milestone for the U.S. offshore wind industry.
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China’s Economic Powerhouse Plans More Offshore Wind Power Than World Builds in a Year

By Bloomberg News   06/01/23  
China’s Guangdong province will accept bids this month to construct 23 gigawatts of offshore wind power as one of the nation’s economic engines seeks to stave off energy shortages.
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Orsted to buy out wind farm seabed rights from Eversource Energy

05/25/23  
Orsted A/S, one of the world’s largest developers of offshore wind energy, announced Thursday that it had agreed to buy the interests of its partner Eversource Energy LLC for the uncontracted federal offshore wind lease…
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Wind Farm Road Work Is Done

By Christopher Walsh   05/18/23  
Onshore cable installation for South Fork Wind has been completed, the wind farm’s developer announced this week, and the affected roadways have been restored.
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Offshore Wind and Fishing: How Two Ocean Industries Will Coexist Off America’s Coasts

05/03/23  
Much ado has been made about potential conflicts between fishing interests and offshore wind, but already the two industries–along with state, federal, and local governments–are engaged in collaborative efforts to ensure they can thrive together…
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BOEM explores offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, where deeper waters pose added challenges

By Diana DiGangi   04/27/23  
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a call Tuesday for public comment on the potential establishment of offshore wind lease areas in the Gulf of Maine, where the waters are deeper compared to many…
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Interior advances plans for offshore wind in Northeast

By David Iaconangelo   04/26/23  
The department outlined a plan for floating turbines in a region crossing three states.
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Maryland set to adopt one of the biggest offshore wind goals in US

By Maria Gallucci   04/12/23  
Maryland is poised to set policies that could quadruple the amount of offshore wind planned along the state’s Atlantic coastline.
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South Fork Wind Clears a Final Hurdle

By Christopher Walsh   04/06/23  
The federal Department of the Interior announced on Monday that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has completed a 60-day review of critical design and installation reports for the South Fork Wind farm, the…
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Whale of a Tale: Local Anti-Wind Crowd Spins Yarns

By Frank Carini   04/06/23  
As Earth spins into a deepening climate crisis, how we continue to power society will determine our fate. So far, our actions have been guided by greed, selfishness, and lies. Bad actors and special interests…
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No Evidence Offshore Wind Development Killing Whales

By Catalina Jaramillo   03/31/23  
Q: Is the development of offshore wind energy farms in the U.S. killing whales? A: Whales have been dying at an unusual rate along the Atlantic Coast since 2016, often from ship strikes or entanglements…
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U.S. Department Of Energy Releases Strategy to Accelerate and Expand Domestic Offshore Wind Deployment

03/29/23  
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the release of its Offshore Wind Energy Strategy, a first of its kind, comprehensive summary of the Department’s efforts to meet President Biden’s goal to deploy 30…
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Brookhaven to get bulk of $169M deal for hosting wind farm cable

By Mark Harrington   03/20/23  
Brookhaven Town will receive the lion's share of a recently inked $168.9 million benefit package from the developers of an offshore wind farm with a power cable that will make landfall at Smith Point and…
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Wind Catcher: The 1,000-foot Multi-Rotor Floating Turbine That Can Power 80,000 Homes

By Sean Cate   03/20/23  
With the wind energy industry constantly evolving, researchers and engineers strive to create more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable ways to harness wind power. Norway now has one the most promising developments in this field with…
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Leading Denier Think Tank Uses AI Image of Dead Whale and Wind Turbines

By Molly Taft   03/16/23  
Readers of the daily email newsletter of one of the country’s leading right-wing, fossil fuel-funded think tanks were treated to a bizarre sight this week: an AI-generated image of a dead whale washed ashore on…
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Top Healey aide chastises Avangrid for falling short of offshore wind promise

By Jon Chesto   03/05/23  
So much for any honeymoon period between the Healey administration and energy company Avangrid.Rebecca Tepper, the state’s new energy and environmental affairs secretary, chastised Avangrid’s chief executive with a harsh letter that essentially accuses the…
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A New York Town Once Thrived on Fossil Fuels. Now, Wind Energy Is Giving a Lift

By Jimmy Vielkind   03/05/23  
This former oil town almost 300 miles from the coast is emerging as one of the early winners in the push to develop offshore wind in the Atlantic Ocean. The hulking steel components of wind…
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These groups fighting offshore wind say it’s about whales—but they’re funded by Big Oil

By Adele Peters   03/01/23  
If you visit the website of the group Protect Our Coast New Jersey, it looks like it could belong to any grassroots environmental organization, perhaps one made up of homeowners, retirees, and other volunteers worried…
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Whales face many dangers: offshore wind is not one of them

By Maya Nguyen   02/23/23  
A series of recent whale deaths along the Atlantic coast have raised speculation about their connection to offshore wind activity. Scientists, however, emphasize that there is no evidence to support a link between the two.
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Interior Department Proposes First-Ever Offshore Wind Sale in Gulf of Mexico

02/22/23  
In another step by the Biden-Harris administration to grow America’s clean energy economy, the Department of the Interior today is proposing the first-ever offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The announcement is…
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New York’s Wind Power Future Is Taking Shape. In Rhode Island.

By Patrick McGeehan   02/22/23  
When Gov. Kathy Hochul laid out her plan for accelerating the development of New York’s offshore wind industry a year ago, she promised thousands of jobs for state residents.
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Whale deaths exploited in ‘cynical disinformation’ campaign against offshore wind power, advocates say

By Elizabeth Weise and Dinah Voyles Pulver   02/16/23  
Efforts to stop wind turbines off the Atlantic coast have a new mascot: the whale. A dozen New Jersey beach town mayors and several other groups now argue offshore wind power activity could be the…
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Is offshore wind development a threat to whales? Here’s what to know

By Li Cohen   02/15/23  
Within the span of just a few months, nine dead whales have washed up on the shores of New Jersey and New York. What's behind the mortalities has not been clearly established, but theories abound.…
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Wind Opponents launch ‘Cynical Disinformation Campaign’

02/14/23  
Offshore wind opponents along the Eastern Seaboard are weaponizing disinformation about whale strandings in service of their long-held political positions against offshore wind energy. Raising issues around the environmental impacts of clean energy is a…
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Plus, nearly half of the new clean energy jobs don’t require a bachelor’s degree, and most pay more than the national median salary.

Elizabeth Weise and Dinah Voyles Pulver   02/13/23  
Efforts to stop wind turbines off the Atlantic coast have a new mascot: the whale. A dozen New Jersey beach town mayors and several other groups now argue off-shore wind could be the cause of…
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Weekly data: Are whales really killed by offshore wind farms?

By Isabeau Van Halm   02/13/23  
An unusually high number of beached whales along the US East Coast has some pointing the finger at offshore wind developers. However, scientists say there is no evidence for the claim.
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In Maine, coalition works to make sure organized labor has role in offshore wind

By Sarah Shemkus   02/01/23  
A group of environmental and labor organizations want a state offshore wind advisory committee in its final plan to include more specific language recommending project labor and labor peace agreements. In Maine, coalition works to…
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American Offshore Wind Doesn’t Have a Plan. It Could Cost the Country $20 Billion

By Alejandro De La Garza   01/24/23  
After decades of delay, the push to capture carbon-free offshore wind energy in the U.S. has finally started moving forward in recent years. Construction on the first large-scale commercial offshore wind farm in the U.S.,…
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