The Interior Department said Wednesday that it is advancing two offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Mexico, identifying an area of roughly 700,000 acres for possible development as the Biden administration looks for ways to expand its clean energy projects to fight climate change.

President Joe Biden announced the efforts during a speech in Somerset, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, where he outlined a series of steps his administration is planning to take to meet his goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, including by switching to clean energy alternatives.