- The US administration announced deploying 15 GW floating offshore wind capacity by 2035.
- The administration is also creating a Floating Offshore Wind Shot to cut floating technologies costs by more than 70% to USD 45 per MWh by 2035.
On Thursday, the US administration announced 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity deployment by 2035. This forms part of the US plans to become a leader in the emerging industry.
With an existing goal of delivering 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 through fixed bottom turbines, the new goal comes in as a complement.
The White House has stated that two-thirds of the country’s offshore wind energy potential is in deep water areas, including the West Costa and the Gulf of Maine. In a recent assessment report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the US has 1.5 TW in technical resource potential fr0m fixed-bottom wind and 2.8 TW from floating offshore wind.
In tandem with the new goal, the country’s Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will further develop deep-water lease areas, starting with a lease auction offshore California by the end of 2022.
The administration is also creating a Floating Offshore Wind Shot to cut floating technologies costs by more than 70% to USD 45 per MWh by 2035. The Energy, Interior, Commerce and Transportation Departments lead the initiative.
To underpin the floating wind goal, the Department of Energy has announced nearly USD 50 million for research, development, and demonstration funding, including a USD 6.85 million prize competition unveiled last week for floating offshore wind platform technologies.
The statement also noted that clean energy tax credits in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act would accelerate the offshore wind industry with support, including Made in America wind turbine blades, fixed-bottom and floating platforms, or installation vessels.
The American Clean Power Association applauded the announcement as a game changer. “These bold actions will create the project pipeline necessary to spark investment in a new domestic supply chain and allow the US to lead in this emerging technology,” said its chief executive Heather Zichal.