US government announce offshore wind initiatives

US Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu has announced the release of three solicitations, worth up to US$ 50.5 million over five years, to develop offshore wind energy technology and to reduce specific market barriers to its deployment. The projects are in support of an interagency plan called, "The joint National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Industry in the United States," which was rolled out in Washington, D.C., by Secretary Chu and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The solicitations announced by Secretary Chu are:

• Technology Development (up to $25 million over five years):
• Removing Market Barriers (up to $18 million over three years):
• Next-Generation Drivetrain (up to $7.5 million over three years)

Secretary Salazar, for his part, identified four Wind Energy Areas offshore the mid-Atlantic as part of Interior's "Smart from the Start" approach. The areas are located on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Delaware (122 square nautical miles), Maryland (207 sq. nm), New Jersey (417 sq. nm), and Virginia (165 sq.nm), They will receive early environmental reviews that will help to lessen the time required for review, leasing and approval of offshore wind turbine facilities. In March, Interior also expects to identify Wind Energy Areas off of North Atlantic states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and launch additional NEPA environmental reviews for those areas. A similar process will occur for the South Atlantic region, namely North Carolina, this spring.