The Biden administration has announced plans to expand offshore wind power in federal waters off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Federal officials made the announcement Wednesday at an offshore wind conference in Atlantic City. The move is part of a push by the Administration toward tackling climate change, in part by developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.
“We will continue using every tool in our toolbox to tackle the climate crisis, reduce our emissions to reach President Biden’s bold goals, and advance environmental justice,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement.
The Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management proposed new offshore wind leases across four million acres of ocean in six distinct areas, stretching from southern Delaware to North Carolina. The move starts a public comment period that solicits input on the environmental impacts of the chosen sites. The proposed areas off the coasts of Delaware and Maryland are 20 miles offshore and encompass 235,222 acres.
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The announcement comes after a recent federal auction generated more than $4 billion dollars for less than half a million acres off the coasts of New Jersey and New York.
The Danish company Orsted plans to develop a separate lease area off the Delmarva peninsula. Construction on that project, Skipjack Wind, is scheduled to begin in 2026.
Opponents to offshore wind worry it will damage fisheries, threaten the endangered North Atlantic right whale, and discourage tourism.
This story is produced in partnership with StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among The Allegheny Front, WPSU, WITF and WHYY to cover the commonwealth's energy economy.
