Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Secretary of the Interior said Monday a five-turbine wind farm under construction off of Rhode Island’s coast is “pioneering” and could jump-start the wind-energy industry.

• The turbine, which will power 17,000 homes when construction finishes late next year, is the first U.S. offshore wind farm. Construction began on Sunday.

• Secretary Sally Jewell said nine additional wind projects are approved for federal waters, and the federal government plans to auction a 10th lease off of New Jersey’s coast later this year.

Dive Insight:

Although commonplace in Europe, wind farms in the U.S. have been slow to catch on, partly because of regulatory hurdles and opposition from the fossil fuel industry.

A project off of Cape Cod, MA, was set to become the country’s first offshore wind farm five years ago, but it was not built because opponents challenged the project in court.

Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said the Rhode Island project could spur an industry that would create tens of thousands of construction and other jobs and spur manufacturing.

Earlier this year, state officials estimated the Rhode Island off-shore wind farm would create 300 construction jobs.

Last week, the American Wind Energy Association reported in its market report that the industry installed a record amount of wind power during the second quarter of 2015.