The US government has approved an area in the Pacific off the coast of California for the construction of wind farms.
In the future, wind turbines could generate up to 4.6 gigawatts of electricity there, which would be enough electricity for around 1.6 million households, the American government said on Tuesday.
The area of around 1,000 square kilometers selected in coordination with the state is located in front of Morro Bay in central California, about halfway between the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
California Governor Gavin Newsom spoke of a "historic announcement".
"Developing wind power on the high seas to produce clean and renewable energy could be a turning point in meeting California's clean energy and climate change goals," said Newsom.
It was initially unclear by when the wind farms were expected to be built.
Because of the rapidly increasing sea depth off the Pacific coast, the wind turbines are also to be installed on floating platforms.
The Department of Energy has invested US $ 100 million (82 million euros) in developing the technology, it said.
The government of President Joe Biden wants to install a total of 30 gigawatts of wind farms on the high seas by 2030. The government recently approved the Vineyard Wind project on the east coast. The plant is to be built off the coast of New England in the state of Massachusetts and will contain up to 84 wind turbines. According to the government, the project will create 3,600 jobs and provide electricity for 400,000 households and companies.