Stretching for thousands of miles, the east coast of the United States is home to major cities, stunning beaches and millions of people. Soon, though, it could also host several major offshore wind farms, a development that would have a significant effect on America’s energy mix. At the moment, the offshore wind sector in the U.S. is small. The country’s first offshore wind farm, the 30 megawatt, five turbine Block Island Wind Farm, only started commercial operations at the end of 2016.

Located off the coast of Rhode Island, the facility is operated by Orsted, a Danish firm.

“It’s been quite a ride the last five years in the sense that you’re seeing multiple states on the Eastern Seaboard come out in a big way with offshore wind targets and carve outs,” Thomas Brostrøm, CEO of Orsted North America Offshore, told CNBC in a phone interview.

Brostrøm went on to list a number of states that were looking to ramp up their offshore wind capacity, including New York, which is targeting 9 gigawatts by 2035; New Jersey, where authorities are aiming for 7.5 GW by 2035; and Virginia, which wants to have 5.2 GW by 2034.

Orsted is working on the development of several offshore wind farms in American waters and is one of a number of firms looking to establish a foothold in the sector.

While there is undoubted room for a significant ramp-up of offshore wind in the U.S., it clearly has a long way to go in order to catch up with more mature markets such as Europe. Offshore wind capacity there currently stands at over 22 GW, according to figures from industry body WindEurope.

Source: CNBC