NEW YORK – Google will invest heavily in a network of deepwater transmission lines to bring power from offshore wind farms, yet to be built, to states along the East Coast, the company said today.
The transmission lines, which could cost up to $5 billion over the next ten years, would run as far as 20 miles offshore from Virginia to New Jersey. The initial phase of the project would be capable of delivering 2 000 megawatts of wind energy – enough to power about 500 000 homes.
Google will own more than a third of the project and has teamed up with other technology companies and investment firms to fund the rest.
“This will have a dramatic impact on accessing offshore wind, and we think it’s one of the things that’s almost required to take advantage of all of that potential,” said Rick Needham, Google’s green business operations director.
Also buying into the project is investment firm Good Energies, Japanese industrial conglomerate Marubeni and Maryland transmission company Trans-Elect.
Trans-Elect CEO Robert L. Mitchell said the first phase is expected to cost $1.8 billion and run 150 miles in federal waters from New Jersey to Delaware. That phase, he said, will be complete by early 2016.
Needham said Google may seek out other investors as the project grows. Google hasn’t disclosed how much money the company has devoted to the project so far. (AP)
