After more than a decade of debates and delays, offshore wind in the United States is on the move. The controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound and the Deepwater ONE farm, off the coast of Rhode Island, are both moving closer to fruition.
Cape Wind has cleared various legal roadblocks and has now secured additional financing, bringing the total up to more than $1.3 billion, more than half of the estimated cost of the project. When all these bank approvals are finalized later this year, the project is set to begin construction. The 170-megawatt wind farm is expected to provide up to 75% of the electricity needs of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Island.
The Deepwater ONE wind project hopes to supply eastern Long Island with 200 megawatts of electricity. The farm will be sited off the coast of Rhode Island some 30 miles east of Montauk, New York. At that distance, the offshore farm will not be visible. Deepwater Wind won a 30-year lease to develop wind projects in the US in a competitive auction. This first project could begin in 2017 and could start supplying power in 2018.
While these first major US projects slowly move from the drawing board into actual construction, European offshore wind continues to grow. In Scotland, the proposed 1.1 gigawatt Moray Offshore Wind Farm has been approved by the government and by environmental advisors. When complete, this offshore farm will be third largest in the world.
The offshore wind industry has full sails.
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Offshore Wind Updates: Cape Wind Financing, Deepwater Proposal, Massive UK Project Approvals
Photo, taken July 1, 2009, courtesy of Kim Hansen via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.