US OKs Wind Energy Project Off East Coast That Will Power 70,000 Homes - Interior Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2021) The US Department of Interior said it approved an offshore wind energy project that will be near the states of Rhode Island and New York and capable of powering up to 70,000 homes.

"(T)he Department of the Interior today announced it has approved the construction and operations of the South Fork Wind project offshore Rhode Island," the Interior Department said in a press release on Wednesday. "This represents the Department's second approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project in the United States."

The project is expected to include up to 12 or less wind turbines, the release said.

The wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of 2023, according to US media reports.

The Biden administration is preparing to approve three lease sales in the US east and west coasts next year, and is actively exploring opportunities for potential wind energy projects in the Gulf of Maine and in the Gulf of Mexico as well as offshore the states of Oregon and Hawaii.

The Biden administration's goal is to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030, the release added.