There are three operating offshore wind farms in the United States, and several more are in permitting or under construction. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management studies potential sites in federal waters for offshore wind energy development and leases sites to developers, who work with state regulatory agencies to interconnect and market their electricity.
| Wind farm | Offshore BOEM wind energy lease area | Receiving states | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Completion year | Turbines | Developer /Utility | Regulatory agency | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block Island Wind | Rhode Island state waters | RI | 41°06′52.96″N71°31′16.18″W / 41.1147111°N 71.5211611°W | 30 | 2016 | 5 x 6MW Haliade 150 | Ørsted | Rhode Island PUC | [1] [2] | ||
| Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind - Pilot Project | Offshore Virginia OCS-A 0497 [3] | 25 nmi (nautical miles) east of Cape Henry (VA) | 2,135 acres (864 ha) | VA | 36°53′30″N75°29′30″W / 36.89167°N 75.49167°W | 12 | 2020 | 2 x 6MW Siemens Gamesa SWT-6.0-154 | Ørsted Dominion Energy | State Corporation Commission | [4] [5] |
| South Fork | Massachusetts & Rhode Island OCS-A 0517 (North Lease Area) [6] | 26 nmi southeast of Montauk Point, Long Island (NY) & 16.6 nmi southeast of Block Island (RI) | 13,700 acres (5,500 ha) | NY | 41°05′31″N71°18′40″W / 41.092°N 71.311161°W | 132 | 2024 | 12 x 11MW Siemens Gamesa 11.0-200 DD | Ørsted Global Infrastructure Partners | NYSERDA | [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] |
The following table lists offshore wind farms that have begun construction in federal waters. Some of these projects have begun delivering power to the grid, with some of their turbines already coming online.
The following table lists offshore wind farm areas (by nameplate capacity) that are in various states development for the Outer Continental Shelf in U.S. territorial waters of the East Coast of the United States, [31] where a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) wind energy area lease has been secured [32] [33] and have gained at least some required regulatory approval before construction can begin. Distances are approximated and generally represent closest point of turbine array to shoreline, while acreage represents size of total lease area, which may be shared, and not the blocks within them allocated for the wind farm.
Projects that have received operations approval from BOEM are highlighted in blue.
| Wind farm | Offshore BOEM wind energy lease area | Receiving states | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Projected completion | Turbines | Developer | Regulatory agency /Utility | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Shores | Offshore New Jersey OCS-A 0499 (NJWEA North) [34] | 13 nmi east of Atlantic City (NJ) [35] | 183,353 acres (74,200 ha) | NJ | 1,510 | 2028 | Vestas V236-15MW | Shell New Energies | NJBPU | [36] [37] [38] | |
| Attentive Energy Two | Offshore New York/New Jersey OCS-A 0538 | 47 nmi southeast of Jones Beach (NY) & 36 nmi east of Seaside Heights(NJ) | 84,332 acres (34,128 ha) | NJ | 1,342 | 2031 | TotalEnergies Corio Generation | NJBPU | [39] | ||
| Carolina Long Bay | Offshore North Carolina OCS-A 0545 OCS-A 0546 | 20 nmi southeast of Southport, North Carolina | NC | 2,250 | 2030 | TotalEnergy Renewables USA | [40] [41] [42] | ||||
| Empire Wind 1 | Offshore New York OCS-A 0512 (Hudson North) [43] [44] | 12 nmi south of Jones Beach, Long Island (NY) | 79,350 acres (32,110 ha) | NY | 40°19′45″N73°30′28″W / 40.329226°N 73.507861°W | 816 | 2027 | Vestas V236-15MW | Equinor | NYSERDA | [45] [46] [47] [48] |
| Kitty Hawk North Wind | Offshore North Carolina OCS-A 0508 [49] | 24 nmi east of Corolla (NC) | 122,405 acres (49,536 ha) | NC | 800 | Up to 69 | Avangrid Renewables | [50] [51] [52] | |||
| Leading Light Wind | Offshore New Jersey OCS-A 0542 | 30 nmi east of NJ | NJ | 2,400 | 2031 | Invenergy energyRE | NJBPU | [39] | |||
| MarWin | Offshore Maryland OCS-A 0490 [53] | 26 nmi east of Ocean City (MD) | 46,970 acres (19,010 ha) | MD | 300 | 22 | US Wind | Maryland PSC | [1] [2] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] | ||
| Momentum Wind | 808 | 55 | |||||||||
| New England Wind 1 | Offshore Massachusetts OCS-A 0534 [60] | 17 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts and 20 nautical miles southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts | 101,590 acres (41,110 ha) | MA | 791 | 2031 | Avangrid Renewables | Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities | [61] [62] | ||
| Sunrise Wind | Offshore Massachusetts & Rhode Island OCS-A 0487 (North Lease Area) [63] | 26 nmi east of Montauk Point, Long Island (NY) & 16.6 nmi southeast of Block Island (RI) | 86,823 acres (35,136 ha) | NY | 40°59′36″N71°07′16″W / 40.99333°N 71.12122°W | 924 | 2026 | 84 Siemens Gamesa 11.0-200 DD | Ørsted Con Ed Transmission | NYSERDA | [45] [64] [65] [66] |
| SouthCoast Wind | Offshore Massachusetts OCS-A 0521 | 25 nmi south of Martha's Vineyard (MA) | 127,388 acres (51,552 ha) | MA, RI | 1,287 | 2030 | Shell New Energies Ocean Winds | MDPU [67] | [62] | ||
| Vineyard Wind 2 | Offshore Massachusetts OCS-A 0522 [68] | 25 nmi south of Nantucket (MA) | 132,370 acres (53,570 ha) | MA | 1,200 | Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners | Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities | [62] [69] | |||
In October 2021, the Biden administration approved the initiation of mapping out potential lease areas along the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. [70] In March 2022, five areas off the coast of California were defined for lease. [71] An auction in December 2022 leased the areas for a total of $757 million. [72]
| Wind farm | Offshore BOEM wind energy lease area | Receiving state | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Projected completion | Turbines | Developer /Utility | Regulatory agency | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Offshore Northern California OCS-P 0561 | 63,338 acres (25,632 ha) | CA | RWE Offshore Wind Holdings | [72] | ||||||
| TBA | Offshore Northern California OCS-P 0562 | 69,031 acres (27,936 ha) | CA | California North Floating | [72] | ||||||
| TBA | Offshore Central California OCS-P 0563 | 80,062 acres (32,400 ha) | CA | Equinor Wind US | [72] | ||||||
| TBA | Offshore Northern California OCS-P 0564 | 80,418 acres (32,544 ha) | CA | Central California Offshore Wind | [72] | ||||||
| TBA | Offshore Northern California OCS-P 0565 | 80,418 acres (32,544 ha) | CA | Invenergy California Offshore | [72] | ||||||
| Wind power by state |
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|---|---|---|
| Large wind farms | ||
| Offshore wind farms |
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| Wind power companies | ||
New York has 2,192 MW of installed wind power capacity as of 2022. Most of New York's wind power is located in upstate New York as onshore wind farms. New York has set a goal of developing 9,000 MW of offshore installed wind power capacity by 2035 that will power an estimated 6 million homes. As of October 2022, New York has five offshore wind farms in development with approximately 4,300 MW installed capacity.
Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind is an offshore wind energy development group that is affiliated with Ørsted, a Danish firm. It is joint headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2019, it was involved in some of the largest offshore wind farm projects in the United States.
The U.S. state of Massachusetts has vast wind energy resources offshore, as well as significant resources onshore. The 2016 update to the states's Clean Energy and Climate Plan had a goal of reducing 1990 baseline greenhouse gas emissions levels by 25% by 2020. Current goals include installing 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power in the state by 2035. However, as of Q4 2021 the state had only 120 MW of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for generating 0.9% of in-state electricity production. The state has awarded contracts to two offshore projects, the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project and 804 MW Mayflower Wind project. Construction began on the Vineyard Wind 1 project on November 18, 2021, after a long fight for approval. Commonwealth Wind was selected for development in 2021, but the developer has attempted to cancel the project due to increased costs. There are eight projects planned for off the southern coast of Massachusetts, though some will deliver power to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.
Wind power in New Jersey is in the early stages of development. New Jersey has just six wind turbines, all land based, but the state has plans to develop several major offshore wind projects on the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern Jersey Shore. Legislation has been enacted to support the industry through economic incentives and to permit wind turbines on existing piers.
The potential of on-shore wind power in Delaware is minimal, having a potential of generating at most 22 GWh/year. Delaware's principal wind potential is from offshore wind. A 2012 assessment estimates that 15,038 MW of offshore wind turbines could generate 60,654 GWh/year. Delaware generated 11,522 GWh from all generating sources in 2011.
The U.S. state of Connecticut has vast wind energy resources offshore as well as onshore although Connecticut was the last state in the United States to block the construction of utility scale wind turbines. Connecticut maintains a renewable portfolio standard that requires 21% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.
Wind power in Maryland, which has land-based and offshore resources, is in the early stages of development. As of 2016, Maryland has 191 megawatts (MW) of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for 1.4% of in-state generated electricity. Two offshore wind farm projects that will supply wind-generated power to the state are underway.
Ocean Wind was a proposed utility-scale 2,248 MW offshore wind farm to be located on the Outer Continental Shelf approximately 15 miles (24 km) off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was being developed by Ørsted US Offshore Wind in conjunction with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G). Construction and commissioning were planned for the mid-2020s. The closed Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and B.L. England Generating Station would provide transmission points for energy generated by the wind farm.
US Wind is an offshore wind energy development company founded in 2011. US Wind is owned by funds managed by Apollo Global Management, an American investment firm, and Renexia SpA, a subsidiary of Toto Holding SpA. It is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2014, it has been involved in an offshore wind farm project in the United States.
Skipjack is a 966 MW capacity off shore wind farm, proposed by Ørsted US Offshore Wind to be built on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Delaware, approximately 16.9 nautical miles from the coast opposite Fenwick Island. It was originally projected that the project, which will provide power to Maryland, would be commissioned in 2022, It is one of the wind farm projects providing wind power to Maryland, the others being MarWin and Momentum Wind.
South Fork Wind Farm is a utility-scale offshore wind farm on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island, providing energy to New York state.
Vineyard Wind 1 is an offshore wind farm under construction in U.S. federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management-designated Lease Area OCS-A 0520, about 13 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. The array is designed to include 62 Haliade-X wind turbines manufactured by GE Offshore Wind with a nameplate capacity of 804 MW combined, equivalent to the annual power use of 400,000 homes. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the project in 2019. Construction began on November 18, 2021. In October 2023, the first turbine was installed. Power from the first turbine started flowing into the ISO New England grid on January 2, 2024. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.
The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) is an offshore wind energy project located about 43 km (27 mi) off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. The initial phase, a two-turbine, 12-MW pilot project constructed in 2020, is the second utility scale offshore wind farm operating in the United States. Dominion Energy and Ørsted US Offshore Wind collaborated on the project, which is estimated to have cost $300 million and is expected to generate enough electricity to power up to 3,000 homes. It is the first utility scale wind farm serving Virginia and the first built in U.S. federal waters, in a wind lease area that covers about 2,135 acres.
Empire Wind is a proposed utility-scale offshore wind farm on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New York. It will be located in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease area OCS-A 0512 in the New York Bight about 15 miles (24 km) south of Jones Beach, Long Island.
SouthCoast Wind, formerly known as Mayflower Wind, is a proposed offshore wind farm in U.S. federal waters about 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 23 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts in Lease OCS-A 0521, which covers 127,388 acres. Construction is expected to start in 2025 with power delivery from the project in 2030.
Offshore wind power is in the early stages of development in the United States. In 2022, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that the country has a "technical" resource potential of 1,476 GW (fixed-bottom) and 2,773 GW (floating) offshore wind power. Offshore wind projects are under development in wind-rich areas of the East Coast, Great Lakes, and Pacific coast. The first offshore wind farm, Block Island Wind Farm, began operation in 2016. The first commercial-scale offshore plant, the South Fork Wind Farm off Rhode Island, was fully commissioned on March 14, 2024. As of May 31, 2024, total offshore wind power was 174 MW.
New England Wind, formerly called Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind, is a proposed offshore wind farm to be located about 23 miles (37 km) off the coast of Martha's Vineyard (MA) on Outer Continental Shelf in U.S. territorial waters of the East Coast of the United States. Avangrid is the developer.
Revolution Wind is a utility-scale offshore wind farm under construction on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island that will provide a total of 704 MW of energy, 400 MW to Rhode Island and 304 MW to Connecticut. It is set to be completed in 2026.
