http://www.capewind.org/news475.htm


BOSTON, MA, September 30, 2005 - There is as much wind power
potential (900,000 megawatts) off our coasts as the current capacity of
all power plants in the United States combined,

according to a new report entitled, "A Framework for Offshore Wind
Energy Development in the United States" (Framework), sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Energy, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative,
and General Electric.

The Framework finds the greatest wind power potential offshore the
highly-populated urban coastal areas of the northeast and it recognizes
the roles of Cape Wind and the Long Island offshore wind project in
creating the momentum to develop offshore wind power in the United
States. The three passages below are examples of these points being
made in the Framework:

"...the United States is getting started with two serious project
proposals located off the coasts of Massachusetts and New York.
Sustaining and building on this momentum will require leadership and
the collective action of all interested parties..."

"Most of the total potential offshore wind resources exist relatively
close to major urban load centers, where high energy costs prevail and
where opportunities for wind development on land are limited. This is
especially true in the densely populated Northeast, where nearly
one-fifth of that national populations lives on less than 2% of the
total land area..."

"Offshore wind energy is also an attractive option for the Northeast
because slightly more than half the country's offshore wind potential
is located off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts, where water
depths generally deepen gradually with distance from shore. This
attribute allows for the initial development of offshore wind in
relatively shallow waters followed by a transition to deeper waters
further for shore as the technology is advanced."

Jim Gordon, the President of Cape Wind, was pleased to see the
Framework's recognition of the role that offshore wind can play in
addressing key national priorities, "The Framework recognizes that
offshore wind can meet a significant share of the energy requirements
of the Northeast while helping to diversify our energy sources, protect
public health and the environment, create jobs, help stabilize energy
prices and make us more energy independent." Gordon continued,
"Cape Wind will help to catalyze America's use of offshore wind to
become a major supply of energy for the Northeast."