United States announces construction of seven large wind farms by 2030
A small wind farm in Latimer, in the US state of Iowa, February 2, 2020 © Jonathan Ernst, Reuters
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Washington unveiled this Wednesday, October 13 its plan to build up to seven large wind farms off the coast of the country.
An initiative that is part of the Biden administration's plan to phase out fossil fuels and provide wind power to more than 10 million American homes by 2030. The “
ambitious
”
roadmap
was announced a few weeks before the opening of COP26 in Glasgow.
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This is a huge step forward for wind power in the United States.
So far, only one offshore farm was operational: the Block Island Wind Farm, completed at the end of 2016 off the state of Rhode Island.
However, it is only able to supply 30 megawatts to the country, or only 0.1% of the 30 gigawatts desired by President Biden for 2030.
The country has a long way to go in the production of offshore wind energy.
In comparison, the United Kingdom plans to produce 40 gigawatts by the same deadline, and China, 73 gigawatts.
It is therefore a real race for green energies,
and the American president has made it his hobbyhorse
.
No less than 12 billion dollars will be spent to finance these seven new concessions.
They will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 78 million tonnes, says the White House, and will also create "
tens of thousands of jobs
" in the United States.
Grumbling of fishermen and criticism of green NGOs
It will also be necessary to count on the discontent of the fishermen who believe that these wind farms will contribute to rarefying certain species such as lobsters.
Other environmental organizations point to the impact on marine flora and fauna.
The current government's support for wind power contrasts with the policies of former President Donald Trump.
He repeatedly ridiculed this renewable energy source during his tenure, saying it was expensive and inefficient.
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See also:
COP15: Xi Jinping promises more than 200 million for a biodiversity protection fund
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