PROVIDENCE – The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Monday that it had completed its environmental analysis of the proposed Revolution Wind Farm Project offshore Rhode Island, which BOEM estimates could power more than 300,000 homes.
“BOEM used the feedback we received from Tribal Nations, industry, ocean users, communities, and stakeholders to help inform our decisions throughout the environmental review process and ensure that we are addressing potential impacts,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “This milestone represents another important step forward in building a new clean energy economy here in the United States.”
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Learn MoreRevolution Wind, LLC proposes to construct an offshore wind energy project of 67 wind turbines, capable of generating up to 704-megawatts for Rhode Island and Connecticut. The wind farm will be located 12 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard, according to the company.
Revolution Wind has been a joint venture between New England power distributor Eversource Energy LLC and Danish energy giant Orsted A/S. In June, Eversource declared it was selling its interests in offshore power generation.
If approved, Revolution Wind would be the fourth commercial-scale offshore wind project located on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf approved by the Biden-Harris administration.
The “Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact Statement” for Revolution Wind’s proposed project will be published in the Federal Register on July 21, the BOEM said in a statement. The Final EIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the activities laid out Revolution Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan. The Final EIS is available on BOEM’s website.
On Sept. 2, 2022, BOEM published its draft EIS, initiating a 45-day public comment period. BOEM also held three in-person and two virtual public meetings to solicit additional feedback on the draft EIS from Tribal Nations, local community members, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean users. BOEM received a total of 124 comments during the comment period.
BOEM considered the comments and stakeholder feedback as it developed the Final EIS, the agency said. BOEM modified the plan to include fewer turbines and to reduce impacts to the habitat of the ocean floor.
Later this summer, BOEM will issue a decision on whether to approve, approve with modification, or disapprove the project.
“Revolution Wind is now one huge step closer to delivering renewable energy and significant economic benefits to Rhode Island and Connecticut,” said David Hardy, CEO Americas at Orsted in an emailed statement. “This major milestone keeps Revolution Wind on-track to complete environmental review and obtain approval by later this summer, with construction activities ramping up soon after.”