With the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the notion of building anything off any U.S. shoreline may raise eyebrows and concerns. But a plan to build a wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach is earning a positive nod.
A report by the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium said the 600-megawatt turbines could supply 10 percent of the commonwealth’s electricity.
The report also concluded that the massive blades would not affect Navy or NASA operations in the Atlantic region.
It’s one of several wind projects now in the works in Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Texas, North Carolina and Ohio, according to Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Just last Wednesday, the federal government approved an offshore wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, after a nine-year review.
A similar farm could be operating in Virginia by 2016, researchers said.
At least three companies have expressed interest in developing Virginia wind farms.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
