Biden administration announces 30 GW offshore wind plan

Published on March 31, 2021 by Chris Galford


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In a major push to meet climate and renewable energy goals, the Biden administration announced yesterday that the Departments of Interior, Energy, Commerce, and Transportation are joining in a push to power 30 GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030.

“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,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. “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—to drive economic growth from coast to coast.”

That goal, according to the government, could support as many as 77,000 jobs, power some 10 million American homes, spur $12 billion in capital investment annually, and cut 78 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. While the end result will focus on public lands, to realize them, the government foresees the building of 10 new manufacturing plants dedicated to building offshore wind turbine components, new ships to install offshore wind turbines, and up to $500 million to assist port upgrades.

Even more ambitiously, the government hopes to use the 30 GW as a launching pad to achieve 110 GW or more of offshore wind by 2050. This is all being paired with a number of other initiatives. At the Department of Energy (DOE), this takes the form of $8 million for 15 new offshore wind research and development projects, with a focus on developing new support structures and U.S.-based supply chains for turbine production, pushing electrical systems innovation and addressing impacts on both wildlife and radar.

“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. But not every community has the resources to rebuild, or even get up and relocate when a climate event happens in their backyards. The climate crisis disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income families. 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.”

President Joe Biden previously issued an Executive Order stressing the importance of expanding offshore wind opportunities, and the administration has signaled a focus on the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific waters.

Among other actions being taken for this are the designation of a new priority Wind Energy Area in the New York Bight, under the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which precedes efforts for a lease sale either later this year or in early 2022. BOEM is also planning other lease sales and reviews of at least 16 construction and operations plans by 2025 — a total of more than 19 GW of potential clean energy. As of now, efforts are also moving forward for the 1,100 MW Ocean Wind project off New Jersey, which is set to become America’s third commercial-scale offshore wind project.

DOE will put up $3 billion in loans for the offshore wind industry. Meanwhile, the Department of Commerce has reached an agreement with Ørsted to share physical and biological data in the company’s leased waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction. This should aid ocean mapping and observing.

The news has also generated positive responses from the clean energy industry, which have labeled the decision historic.

“The Biden Administration’s ambitious, but achievable, goal of 30 GW by 2030 sets the stage for a brand-new home-grown energy industry that will slash carbon emissions, create 83,000 American jobs, and add $25 billion in annual investments into our economy by the end of this decade,” Heather Zichal, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said. “Creating a stable policy platform for offshore wind development and facilitating the first wave of significant projects will provide certainty for the industry, strengthen the workforce, and revolutionize domestic supply chains up and down the coasts and across the country. Now is the time to seize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”