The U.S. The U.S.

KEY QUOTE

The Interior Secretary Deb haaland said, "Today’s milestone is another step towards our ambitious goal to deploy 30 gigawatts offshore energy by 2030."

Why it is important

With the approval of the New Jersey project, the U.S. is now over a third way towards the 2030 target - an important part of President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda.

Last year, high materials costs, high rates of interest and delays in the supply chain led Orsted, Equinor BP Avangrid Shell and other project developers to cancel or renegotiate contracts for commercial-scale U.S. Wind Farms, with start dates between 2025-2028.

CONTEXT

Donald Trump has made offshore wind a major issue, in addition to the economic obstacles. He promised to stop offshore wind projects should he win the November elections. Trump has cited the false claims made by opposition groups that turbines are killing whales and fishing.

THE DETAILS

Interior Department stated that the Atlantic Shores South project could generate as much as 2,800 megawatts, or enough electricity to power nearly one million homes. The project is located approximately 8.7 miles off New Jersey.