US Interior Secretary Visits Offshore Wind Farm
US Interior Secretary Visits Offshore Wind Farm During COP15 Participation
Copenhagen, 9
December 2009. The Global Wind Energy Council was pleased to
host US Secretary of the Interior Mr. Ken Salazar on a tour
of the Middelgrunden offshore wind energy farm just outside
of Copenhagen this afternoon, along with representatives of
the Danish Wind Industry Association, Vestas, DONG and
Siemens. Secretary Salazar has been a strong proponent of
exploiting the vast potential for offshore wind generation
off the US East Coast, in pursuit of President Obama’s
“25% by 2025” initiative.
Secretary Salazar has
a particular interest in offshore wind technology, and he
has been a strong advocate of the use of the public lands
and offshore waters under his jurisdiction to build the
US’ renewable energy generation capacity. Experts estimate
that over 1,000 GW of wind energy could be built off the US
East coast alone, and while there are no offshore wind farms
currently operating in the US, a number of projects are in
the pipeline.
“We are very excited about Secretary
Salazar’s support for the development of offshore wind and
are happy to share the European experience,” said Steve
Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy
Council.
By the end of 2009, total installed offshore
capacity in Europe will be approximately 2,000 MW, just over
1% of the expected total year end global installed capacity
of 150,000 MW. However, the share of offshore wind
generation is expected to grow substantially in the coming
years, particularly in Europe, where up to 55,000 MW are
anticipated to be installed by 2020.
“Denmark has
pioneered the growth of offshore wind and we are happy to
have the Secretary visit Middelgrunden and see for himself
what has been achieved”, continued Sawyer. “We were
pleased to have the opportunity for in-depth conversation
with him about the benefits and the challenges of this new
technology. We look forward to working with him and his
staff to help the industry develop in the United
States.”
ENDS