Norway’s Statoil aims to build a new offshore wind farm in the United States

New offshore wind farm could be built off the coast of New York

Norway’s largest oil company, Statoil, aims to build a new offshore wind farm off the coast of New York’s Jones Beach. The winds that can be found off of the coast of the United States are quite dependable and they could have the potential to produce as much as four times the amount of energy of all sources of power in the country. Statoil sees great promise in this potential, and is making plans to develop an ambitious offshore wind farm on some 79,350 acres of federal territory.

New wind energy system could generate 600 MW of electrical power

Statoil has submitted a $42.5 million bid to lease the federal waters that could one day serve as home to the new offshore wind farm. Before construction can begin on the project, however, Statoil will be surveying the territory to determine its overall potential. The company has not yet released specific details on how many wind turbines will comprise the energy system, but it is expected that the first phase of the wind farm will be able to generate as much as 600 megawatts. This electricity will be sent back to the mainland, where it will be used to power New York suburbs.

Majority of wind energy in the US comes from onshore turbines

Currently, the United States generates 75 gigawatts of wind power, the majority of which comes from onshore turbines. Last week, however, the country’s first offshore wind farm went live. The project took seven years to develop and marks a potential turning point for the country’s wind market. Offshore projects have been attracting more attention in recent years, with government subsidies supporting the development of new projects throughout the country. As of now, the east coast is home to the majority of interest in the offshore wind energy sector due to the strong wind currents that can be found at sea.

Future of government support for offshore wind farms is uncertain

Offshore wind farms may be attracting more support, but whether or not government aid will continue into the future in unclear. President-elect Donald Trump has been a somewhat outspoken opponent of wind turbines in the past. Trump has called turbines “monstrous” and suggested that wind turbines are unpleasing to look at. The economic behind wind energy, however, may ensure that the sector continues to grow, as new projects create more jobs and help save money on energy expenditure.