PROVIDENCE – Revolution Wind has reached another milestone with the installation of the first of its 65 offshore wind turbines in the ocean waters off Rhode Island.
Developers Ørsted and Eversource made the announcement Monday, marking another landmark event in the construction of the 704-megawatt wind farm being built about 15 miles south of Little Compton.
The project will supply power to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
“This is a monumental moment for Revolution Wind, the Northeast region, and Rhode Island," Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement. "The installation of the first turbine speaks to the strong private and public partnership driving the project forward.”
Second offshore wind farm to supply Rhode Island
When it comes into operation in 2026, Revolution Wind will be the second offshore wind farm to deliver electricity to Rhode Island and the first utility-scale project for the state.
The Block Island Wind Farm became the first offshore wind farm in America when construction was completed in 2016. But the 30-megawatt test project built in state waters about three miles southeast of Block Island is of a much smaller size than the Revolution project.
Not only does the Block Island array have fewer turbines – five versus Revolution’s 65 – but each turbine also has a much lower power capacity – six megawatts versus 11 megawatts for Revolution’s turbines that were manufactured by Siemens Gamesa.
So while Block Island is producing enough power for about 17,000 homes, Revolution will generate enough for many more, 350,000 across Rhode Island and Connecticut.
More than half of the power capacity – 400 megawatts – is going to Rhode Island under a 20-year contract approved by state utilities regulators in 2019.
Rhode Island Energy is paying a flat rate of 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour for power from the wind farm, which at the time of approval was projected to save ratepayers $90 million over the life of the contract, in large part by displacing the most expensive fossil fuel-burning generators in winter .
More: This major offshore wind company just announced a big Providence expansion
Offshore construction has gone smoothly
The successful installation of the Revolution turbine is good news for the development of the project following the announcement last month that Ørsted and Eversource had been forced to push back the planned date that the wind farm would go into operation from 2025 to 2026 .
That decision was made because of construction delays on the onshore substation that will connect a transmission cable from the wind farm to the regional power grid.
Eversource, which is in charge of all onshore construction, discovered more contamination than expected on the former Navy landfill that will be home to the substation.
Offshore construction has gone more smoothly. Ørsted hammered the project’s first monopile foundation into the ocean bottom in May . Since then, it has installed more than three-quarters of the 67 monopiles needed for the turbines and two offshore substations.
The first turbine was put in place late last week, according to a spokesperson for Revolution Wind. Turbine installation will continue through the fall and winter months, but the wind farm won’t start delivering any power in the immediate future.
Offshore wind aimed at reducing carbon emissions
Construction of Revolution Wind is a key part of Rhode Island’s climate policy.
The state is aiming to ramp up supplies of renewable energy to slash greenhouse gases and comply with the mandates put in place by the Act on Climate, the 2021 law that requires Rhode Island to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Rhode Island has been working with Connecticut and Massachusetts to solicit proposals for even more offshore wind. Orsted is among four companies that submitted bids to the states and has proposed a new 1,184-megawatt project it’s calling Starboard Wind that would be built near the Revolution site.
Selections through the procurement process are expected to be announced on Friday.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The first turbine is up for this huge offshore wind project off RI's coast
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