Offshore wind projects have proven to be a very tough sell so far in the United States. The most notable project to date has been the 420 megawatt Cape Wind proposal off the coast of Massachusetts. Seven years into the process we still don’t know if the project will ever be approved.

There are other offshore wind projects being proposed, most notably the Bluewater Wind project off of Maryland and a Winergy Power proposal off of Long Island, NY. Winergy’s project is notable because they recently upped the size of their farm to a very robust 940 megawatts.

Getting approval for the Winergy project is going to be tough. An offshore wind proposal by Florida Power & light (FPL) for the same general area was rejected due to cost concerns in 2007. Times are changing and so is the price of oil which closed today at $117.48 per barrel.

The head of the Long Island Power Authority nixed the FPL proposal but seems to have softened his stance, calling the proposal, “something to explore…especially as oil hits $113 a barrel and the cost of fuel continues to increase.”

Offshore wind can definitely be viable and may soon be desperately needed to meet rising demand in cities like New York and Boston. As fossil fuel costs rise and the public calls for more action on environmental issues it’s likely that those who oppose offshore wind will find fewer friendly ears to bend when making their case to stop these projects.