First offshore US wind farm approved off Massachusetts coast

Apr 29, 2010, 17:03 GMT

Washington - President Barack Obama's administration on Wednesday approved the first offshore US wind farm, backing a project near the Massachusetts coastline that was fiercely opposed by locals, including the state's late senator Ted Kennedy.

The Cape Wind project is to be built in federal waters near the state's upscale peninsula of Cape Cod. The wind turbines would be visible from many of the exclusive villas on the popular vacation spot, including the Kennedy family compound. Ted Kennedy passed away last August.

Locals have spent nearly 10 years trying to thwart the 1-billion- dollar wind farm, which could produce up to 468 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 200,000 homes in the state, according to the US Interior Department, which approved the project.

'After almost a decade of exhaustive study and analyses, I believe that this undertaking can be developed responsibly and with consideration to the historic and cultural resources in the project area,' said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Other parts of the north-east have also sought permission to build offshore wind farms, and the administration hopes the region could eventually generate as much as 1 million megawatts of electricity. The project constituted one of the largest greenhouse-gas reducing efforts in the United States, the Interior Department said.

The project by Cape Wind Associates LLC was scaled back slightly to accommodate local misgivings - the number of wind turbines allowed was reduced from 170 to 130. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in a statement said he could 'accept and support' Salazar's decision, which would bring much-needed jobs to his state.

But the project still faces several legal challenges from local groups. The Federal Aviation Administration also must approve the wind farms to ensure they won't interfere with commercial airliners.

The administration's decision marked a rare source of agreement between environmentalists and the business community, who have been tangling for months over broader clean energy reforms that have stalled in the US Congress.

The Sierra Club, a Washington-based environmental lobby, called the decision 'a huge victory for clean energy.' The Obama administration has set a goal of generating 20 per cent of US energy needs from wind power by 2030.

Bill Kovacs of the Chamber of Commerce, the largest US business association, said the wind farm 'reflects the true spirit of American enterprise and a significant step forward toward achieving a more secure, diverse, and prosperous energy future.'