The Biden administration approved an offshore wind farm off the coasts of Rhode Island and New York on Wednesday as part of a plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced it approved the construction and operations of the South Fork Wind project, the department’s second approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project in the United States. Last week, the department marked the groundbreaking off the coast of Massachusetts for the first commercial-scale offshore wind project. The first U.S. offshore wind farm opened off Block Island in 2016. But at five turbines, it’s not commercial-scale. Orsted, the Danish energy company, acquired the developer, Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind, and now operates that wind farm. Orsted is developing the South Fork Wind project with utility Eversource. The Interior Department approved up to 12 turbines. Leaders at Orsted and Eversource celebrated the announcement, touting the project’s potential to reduce air pollution, help combat climate change and boost the economy by creating jobs.
https://www.theday.com/statenortheast-news/20211125/feds-approve-another-wind-farm-off-block-island