After a similar project began in Massachusetts, the White House plans to build a large-scale wind farm off Rhode Island, the country's second, to supply power to New York.
The Interior Department is expected to grant approval for the plant, which is expected to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by the year 2030, to power some 10 million homes.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement that they had no time to waste in cultivating and investing in a clean energy economy that can sustain us for generations. The Biden administration said the project will generate approximately 130 megawatts, and will be located 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island and 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York. It is expected to power some 70,000 homes on Long Island and create more than 300 jobs.
The Interior Department has taken a number of measures to minimize, minimize, and mitigate potential impacts that could be a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project, and it has consulted with tribes, local governments, and industries.
The first major offshore project, an 800 megawatt wind farm located 15 miles off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, is expected to provide power to the grid in 2023, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund.
There will be the construction of at least 16 offshore wind energy facilities by the end of 2025, according to the administration.
While many countries have already expanded their renewable energy capabilities by using offshore wind projects to reduce carbon emissions, the U.S. is a latecomer to this area.
According to a report by the Global Wind Energy Council, a total of 6.1 gigawatts of electricity were generated by new offshore wind projects last year, with China leading with more than 3 gigawatts, followed by the Netherlands with 1.5 gigawatts and Belgium with 706 megawatts.