The two Departments pledged to work closely to develop the resources and systems needed to deploy wind, wave and tidal energy facilities around US coasts

Two federal government Departments have agreed to work closely together to spur on the development of offshore wind, wave and tidal farms in US waters.

The Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday.

The two organizations will set up a joint working group within the next 30 days, which will draw up an Action Plan that lays out goals, requirements and standards for offshore wind projects as well as setting a series of goals to deploy offshore renewable energy technology.

From wind energy alone, the DOE believes 54,000 megawatts of generating capacity could be established off American shores by 2030.

The agreement between the two Departments will aim to set up streamlined leasing and regulatory systems to help pave the way for offshore wind developers to make the most of the opportunities.

Suitable sites for development will be identified through work to measure and predict renewable energy potential along US coastlines, starting with the Atlantic.

The Departments intend to draw up technical standards for offshore wind and marine energy projects, along with protocols for environmental monitoring and impact mitigation.

“Major opportunity”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said: “We have a major opportunity to tap the energy in waves and offshore wind. Increasing cooperation between our agencies will help make clean, renewable energy a reality.”

Many coastal areas around the US are close to large centers of population, which means offshore renewable energy projects can potentially find markets for their power nearby.

We have a major opportunity to tap the energy in waves and offshore wind” - Energy Secretary Chu

The Department of the Interior has already begun working to boost offshore wind developments, and earlier this month signed a similar Memorandum to work with 10 East Coast states on offshore wind deployments (see this BrighterEnergy.org story).

Ken Salazar, US Secretary of the Interior, gave the go-ahead earlier this year for the 468-megawatt Cape Wind offshore wind project to go ahead in Massachusetts (see this BrighterEnergy.org story).

Secretary Salazar said: “This joint framework with DOE will bring together resources and expertise from both agencies as we pursue the environmentally responsible development of these valuable renewable energy resources.”