US to sell wind energy leases off 3 states

The federal government plans to sell leases for wind farms off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia, marking the first time it has sold competitive leases for wind energy on the outer continental shelf, officials said Friday.

The leases for the two areas, which total more than 430 square miles, will be sold next year, the Department of Interior and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said.

‘‘Wind energy along the Atlantic holds enormous potential, and today we are moving closer to tapping into this massive domestic energy resource to create jobs, increase our energy security and strengthen our nation’s competitiveness in this new energy frontier,’’ Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a written statement.

The announcement was hailed by conservation group Oceana, which called it a major step in developing domestic clean energy.

‘‘We’re getting a step closer to seeing real turbines out there in the water,’’ Nancy Sopko, the group’s ocean advocate, said. ‘‘The more progress is made, it sends that signal out to the rest of the world that the US is serious about developing wind energy here.’’

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

OMCO Origin® Factory-Direct Trackers

OMCO Origin® Factory-Direct Trackers

A One-In-Portrait (1P) solution for a wide range of solar projects within utility scale, distributed generation (DG), and community solar markets manufactured and factory preassembled in the USA at OMCO Solar with full-scale support, and design for quick, easy and safe installation, and fewer trackers per MW. OMCO makes all structural components with domestic steel and this balanced design allows for more accurate targeting and reduced energy consumption. OMCO Origin® Factory-Direct Trackers include universal module mounts with options for all commercially available modules, labor-saving bearings with 6 adjustable ways to compensate for posts and terrain issues, and foundation solutions for every terrain including OMCO C Piles.