Biden administration approves first large offshore wind power farm in the US

The Biden administration is quickly acting on its promise of boosting offshore wind power in the US. The cabinet has approved the Vineyard Wind project, the first “large-scale” offshore wind farm in the US. The 84-turbine array will sit 12 nautical miles off Martha’s Vineyard and generate 800 megawatts, or enough power for 400,000 homes and office buildings.

The administration claimed the project would create 3,600 jobs. It should help fulfill a goal of producing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, although the government didn’t say when it expected Vineyard Wind to come online. Massachusetts already greenlit the project.

The Interior Department is also in the midst of environmental reviews for two additional offshore wind farms.

This isn’t the largest wind farm. While it’s bigger than some large-scale projects, such as the 714MW East Anglia One, Hornsea Project One handily eclipses it with a 1.2GW capacity. It’s still a significant step forward for American wind power, though, and helps diversify renewable energy in a country where solar farms and land-based wind turbines are relatively commonplace.