Biden plans floating platforms to expand offshore wind power

Offshore wind turbines. Courtesy US Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration hopes to develop floating platforms in the deep ocean for offshore wind towers that could power millions of homes and vastly expand offshore wind in the United States.

A plan announced Thursday would target sites in the Pacific Ocean off the California and Oregon coasts, as well as in the Atlantic in the Gulf of Maine.

President Joe Biden hopes to deploy up to 15 gigawatts of electricity through floating sites by 2035, enough to power 5 million homes.

There are only a handful of floating offshore platforms in the world — all in Europe — but officials said new technology could soon establish the United States as a global leader in offshore wind.

More from 630WPRO.COM