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Reviewed by: Jen McCann
Last Update: July 8th, 2020
The United States is rapidly positioning itself to become a world producer of electricity from offshore wind energy, articulating it as an opportunity to create green energy and economic growth. Specifically, it is suggested that the development of offshore wind infrastructure would generate more than 30,000 MW along the East Coast (more than 2,000 individual wind turbines) and will likely support up to 83,000 jobs and deliver $25 billion in annual economic output by 20301.
More than 16 lease blocks may result in more than 2,000 wind turbines installed in U.S. by 2030 2.
In addition, project developers and manufacturers have already announced more than $1.3 billion of planned investments in port infrastructure, manufacturing facilities, and supply chain development to support offshore wind. Considerable industry and state government investments are also being made to support new training programs and workforce development.
Sources
[1] American Wind Energy Association. (2020, March 11). U.S. Offshore Wind Power Economic Impact Assessment. Retrieved from https://supportoffshorewind.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/AWEA_Offshore-Wind-Economic-ImpactsV3.pdf
[2] Bennett, J. (2020, April 2). Federal Offshore Wind Energy Program Update for the Northeast, Presentation. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Retrieved from https://neoceanplanning.org/news/nroc-ocean-planning-committee-webinar-april-2-2020/