America’s offshore wind industry kept growing in 2024, even after President Trump reportedly halted several projects. The total US offshore wind pipeline reached 80,523 MW as of May 31, 2024. That’s a 53% increase, or 27,836 MW more than the year before.
Trump’s halt affected about 5.8 GW of projects. But the pipeline still grew because of new lease areas. Eight Gulf of Maine lease areas added 15,702 MW. Two Mid-Atlantic lease areas added 4,499 MW. Two Oregon lease areas contributed another 3,156 MW.
Only 174 MW was actually operational as of May 31, 2024. That includes three fully commissioned projects. South Fork Wind Farm came fully online on March 14, 2024, adding 132 MW. It began delivering power to New York in late 2023. The remaining roughly 42 MW comes from two smaller farms off Rhode Island and Virginia.
As of May 2024, only 174 MW of offshore wind was operational across three fully commissioned U.S. projects.
Construction activity jumped sharply. There’s now 4,097 MW under construction, up more than 300% from just 938 MW in 2023. Vineyard Wind 1 accounts for 806 MW. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is the largest at 2,587 MW.
Floating offshore wind is also a big part of the pipeline. It totals 25,116 MW and includes projects off both coasts. California alone has an estimated 6,000 MW potential. The Gulf of Maine could support up to 15,000 MW.
Eight states have set offshore wind mandates totaling 45,730 MW by 2040. These mandates are pushing project development and energy planning across the country. Since early 2021, the offshore wind sector has attracted over $10 billion in supply chain investment to support this growing infrastructure.
Looking ahead, forecasts estimate 40 to 42 GW of offshore wind by 2035. Between 20,000 and 30,000 MW could be operational by 2030. If fully developed, the US pipeline could power over 26 million homes.
Globally, offshore wind reached 68,258 MW by the end of 2023. That’s a 10.2% increase from 2022. Over 13,096 turbines are now operating worldwide. The US has a long-term potential of up to 2,000 GW and aims to rank among top global producers. The Biden-Harris administration approved eight commercial scale offshore wind projects totaling more than 10 GW since the start of 2021. Meanwhile, onshore wind continues to expand alongside offshore development, with Texas leading with approximately 40 GW capacity and wind accounting for a significant share of the state’s energy mix in 2023.
References
- https://reglobal.org/us-offshore-wind-market-assessment/
- https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/offshore-wind-market-report-2024-edition
- https://docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24osti/90921.pdf
- https://www.review-energy.com/eolico/wind-energy-annual-reports-recent-results-and-future-expectations-in-the-us
- https://cleanpower.org/resources/u-s-offshore-wind-economic-impact-assessment-fact-sheet/
- https://www.apmresearchlab.org/offshore-wind
- https://www.rtoinsider.com/85849-doe-wind-power-reports-mixed-results-2023/
- https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-and-totalenergies-agree-end-offshore-wind-projects-lowering-costs-american
