Google-backed offshore project gets green light
A Google-backed power project to support offshore wind generation cleared a hurdle Monday.
An undersea power line on the Atlantic coast backed by Google Inc. got the blessing of the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday.
The project, in which Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a major investor, has been proposed by Atlantic Grid Holdings LLC, would transmit power from wind generators off of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to the regional high-voltage grid.
Atlantic Grid asked for a right of way corridor 200 feet wide and about 790 miles long for its cable.
It would take about 10 years to build the project, which still has to pass environmental review. Today's decision clears the way for that environmental study.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said "there is no overlapping competitive interest in the proposed right-of-way grant area off the Mid-Atlantic coast for offshore wind energy transmission line." This followed a 60-day open comment period.
The bureau plans to move directly to the environmental impact statement.
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