FILE – Three wind generators from Deepwater Wind stand within the water off Block Island, R.I, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, Aug. 15, 2016. One other deliberate offshore wind farm, by Revolution Wind, moved a step nearer to development on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, with the Division of the Inside asserting it has accepted the undertaking, to be situated in federal waters about 15 miles southeast of Level Judith, R.I, and south of Martha’s Winery, Mass. AP Picture/Michael Dwyer, File
By STEVE LeBLANC, Related Press
A deliberate offshore wind farm moved a step nearer to development Tuesday with the Division of the Inside asserting it has accepted the undertaking, to be situated in federal waters close to Rhode Island south of Martha’s Winery, Massachusetts.
The Revolution Wind undertaking can have an estimated capability of greater than 700 megawatts of renewable power, able to powering almost 250,000 properties, and is anticipated to create about 1,200 jobs throughout development, regulators mentioned.
It’s the division’s fourth approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind power undertaking, becoming a member of the Winery Wind undertaking off Massachusetts, the South Fork Wind undertaking off Rhode Island and New York, and the Ocean Wind 1 undertaking off New Jersey.
The Revolution Wind undertaking is one other step towards the Biden administration’s aim of growing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power capability by 2030, mentioned U.S. Inside Secretary Deb Haaland.
“Along with trade, labor and companions from coast to coast, we’re constructing a wholly new trade off the east and west and Gulf coasts,” Haaland mentioned in a press release.
The ultimate model of the plan accepted by the division requires putting in fewer generators than initially proposed by the developer. The aim is to assist cut back impacts to visible sources, the ocean flooring habitat, and different ocean actions.
The plan identifies potential places for the set up of 65 wind generators and two offshore substations.
Revolution Wind will create a fund to compensate for losses by leisure and industrial fisheries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts — in addition to fisheries from different states — immediately associated to the development of the generators.
The undertaking can even take steps to scale back potential hurt to protected species like marine mammals, sea turtles, and Atlantic sturgeon.
The Division’s Bureau of Ocean Vitality Administration stays on observe to finish critiques of at the very least 16 offshore wind undertaking plans by 2025, representing greater than 27 gigawatts of fresh power, the bureau mentioned.
Winery Wind, a separate undertaking, is beneath development 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Martha’s Winery and Nantucket. It contains 62 generators and is anticipated to place out 800 megawatts, sufficient electrical energy to energy greater than 400,000 properties, starting this yr.
The primary U.S. offshore wind farm opened off Rhode Island’s Block Island in late 2016. However with 5 generators, it’s not industrial scale.
