July 24, 2024 — Washington is considering dipping its toes in the world of offshore wind turbines. By 2026, the state will likely decide whether to take a plunge.
But that depends on whether Washington voters decide to retain the state’s cap-and-invest program, which raises money from carbon-producing companies to invest in green energy and pollution mitigation.
An offshore turbine is a windmill-like turbine that looks and operates like the ones found on land – only much bigger.
Most offshore turbines are along the coasts of Europe and East Asia. The United States has two commercial-sized offshore wind turbine farms capable of producing a total of 42 megawatts, compared to the worldwide production 64,300 megawatts.
The first American offshore project was Block Island, 12 miles south of Rhode Island, which went online in 2016 with five turbines to generate 30 megawatts. In comparison, Washington’s largest proposed land turbine project – in the Horse Heaven Hills south of Kennewick – would build 100 to 222 turbines to generate between 236 megawatts and roughly 1,150 megawatts. Its exact size is still being debated at the state level.