Block I. wind-farm proposal draws 7 bids

PROVIDENCE – Seven developers submitted offshore wind-farm proposals to the R.I. Department of Administration by the Friday deadline, according to Jerome Moynihan, state administrator of purchasing systems.
The bidders included three Rhode Island companies and another that is based in Texas, Moynihan told the Associated Press. The contents of the bids will not be made public until the state has awarded a contract, he said.
The governor will now choose a team of state officials to examine the bids, the AP said. Top contenders will be invited to present their proposals in detail.
The project – announced by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri on April 3 (READ MORE) calls for the construction of a 1.3-million megawatt-hour-per-year installation in the waters just south of Block Island.
The project might cost as much as $1.9 billion, the governor has said, but would supply up to 15 percent of the state’s electricity needs and reduce prices for Block Island customers. At an estimated 105 wind turbines, the installation would be about the same size as the proposed Cape Wind project off Cape Cod, Carcieri has said.
His initial request for proposals (RFP) required that each developer submit an initial letter of interest by 2 p.m. on May 16, if they wished to be able to enter a bid.
Additional information, including the State of Rhode Island’s full request for proposals (RFP), is available from the governor’s office at www.governor.ri.gov.