RI Biggest Offshore Wind Project Kicks Off — It May Power 500K Homes and Take 10 Years
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Rhode Island’s offshore wind companies Ørsted and Eversource on Monday announced they have submitted a joint proposal in response to the state’s offshore wind solicitation.
This is a mega-project. It is poised to deliver renewable power to as many as 500,000 Rhode Island homes; according to the companies, the proposed 884-megawatt Revolution Wind 2 represents more than $2 billion in direct economic benefits to Rhode Island.
But this realization of this project may take a decade to become operational.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“[The] goal would be to have any winning project(s) operational to support the state's achievement of its 100% renewable target by 2033,” said Ted Kresse of Rhode Island Energy, the company contracting for this project.
While Ørsted and Eversource have announced their application to be elected for the project, other companies and joint ventures are expected to apply.
RI Energy has not disclosed the other applicants.
The timeline for the process includes the following deadlines:
- Review of Bids with Rhode Island OER and Division March 20, 2023
- Conditional selection of Bidder(s) for negotiation June 21, 2023
- Negotiate and Execute Contracts September 13, 2023
- Submit Contracts for PUC Approval November 13, 2023
After those milestones are met, the winning applicant will need to receive federal permitting — a process that could take as long as three years.
“Ørsted and Eversource are leading the buildout of a homegrown American offshore wind industry, and Revolution Wind 2 will further advance the state’s leadership position in this growing green jobs sector. If selected, Revolution Wind 2 will create hundreds of jobs; deliver crucial port investments that expand Rhode Island’s role in the offshore wind industry; advance environmental justice; and create inclusive training and career opportunities for historically marginalized Rhode Islanders,” claims the two companies in a statement issued on Monday.
According to Ørsted and Eversource’s Revolution Wind – the state’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm – Revolution Wind 2 would help advance the state’s 100-percent clean energy by 2033 climate goal. The carbon emissions achieved by Revolution Wind 2 would be the equivalent of taking more than 265,000 cars off New England roads.
“From the ‘starting five’ at America’s first offshore wind farm to the major work already underway for Revolution Wind, we’re proud to be Rhode Island’s trusted offshore wind partner,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “We’re ready to deliver even more good-paying jobs and affordable clean energy to the Ocean State, and we’re confident that our new proposal will advance Rhode Island’s climate goals while delivering on the promise of a sustainable economic engine rooted in thriving port facilities and powered by local union labor.”
“We’re answering Rhode Island’s call for more offshore wind energy with a proposal that builds upon the groundwork we’ve laid in the Ocean State with our significant investments in port infrastructure, workforce training and the local supply chain,” said Joe Nolan, Chairman, President and CEO of Eversource Energy. “Our latest proposal harnesses the unmatched combination of our onshore, regional transmission expertise together with Ørsted’s considerable offshore capabilities. We applaud state leaders for their commitment to combatting climate change and delivering a clean-energy future for Rhode Islanders.”
Revolution Wind 2 Claims
If selected, Revolution Wind 2 will deliver "unprecedented" economic and environmental investments according to the companies, including:
Ports:
Significant investments in the state’s existing ports, including $35 million to realize Quonset Development Corporation’s vision for a Regional Offshore Wind Logistics and Operations Hub at Quonset Point.
New, local union jobs to support the expanded construction of advanced foundation components at ProvPort.
Shipbuilding:
Building on the state’s historic shipbuilding capabilities, Revolution Wind 2 will enable the construction of two new crew transfer vessels in Rhode Island to serve Ørsted’s U.S. portfolio, on top of the five already being built by Blount Boats and Senesco Marine as part of our Revolution Wind investments. We’re also planning other shipbuilding investments in Rhode Island to support the industry.
Ørsted Offshore Engineering Hub Center of Excellence:
Ørsted will open a new U.S. Engineering Hub in Rhode Island, creating roughly 75 new local engineering jobs in a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as an Ørsted engineering center of excellence in the U.S.
McKee's Push to Meet State's Goals
Rhode Island has an aggressive agenda to shift all the production of electricity to renewable sources under Governor Dan McKee.
Rhode Island is working to develop a homegrown offshore wind supply chain, including an industry hub of nearly 30 companies at Providence CIC, and the state has begun training the future offshore wind workforce.
In July 2022, McKee announced this round -- the second competitive offshore wind solicitation.
This second solicitation marks additional momentum toward achieving Rhode Island’s 100-percent renewable by 2033 goal and its Act on Climate Act emissions reduction target.
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