PROVIDENCE – A massive new offshore wind generation project, to be sited near Block Island, was given the green light Tuesday night by the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council following six-and-a-half hours of often passionate testimony against the wind farm.
The CRMC OK’d the Revolution Wind project in a 4-to-1 vote with one member abstaining due to a potential conflict of interest. At issue was whether the project met Ocean State’s coastal policies.
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Revolution Wind is a joint venture between Eversource Energy LLC, a residential energy provider, and Danish multinational power company Orsted A/S.
The initial plan called for construction of 100 towering windmills to be erected in federal waters, about 15 miles south of the state.
However, the number of turbines was significantly reduced after months of complex negotiations between fishermen, environmentalists, Eversource and Orsted. Twenty-one were eliminated from consideration – leaving 79 turbines – due to complex ocean habitats and potential engineering problems caused by boulders on the seafloor, said CRMC spokesperson Laura Dwyer.
The negotiations also led to having several turbines be positioned outside of sensitive areas deemed glacial moraines.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must approve the project before construction can commence, Dwyer said. The wind farm will be situated in the midst of one the world’s best fishing grounds. The fishery is known as a prime location for bluefish and cod, with seasonal appearances of black sea bass, fluke and blackfish.
Orsted also owns and operates the Block Island Wind Farm, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, which produces 30 megawatts of electricity.
The Revolution Wind project is an order of magnitude larger and was projected to generate more than 700 megawatts of electricity.
Scheduled for completion in 2025, Revolution Wind is expected to generate up to 304 megawatts of power to Connecticut and 400 megawatts to the Ocean State, according to Orsted.
Environmental activists had voiced concerns that the project was moving too quickly and risked damage to fragile marine ecosystems.
The Revolution Wind project is beyond Rhode Island’s jurisdiction, but through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the state had limited review authority, Dwyer said. The state also had no say in the siting of the project, which was determined by the BOEM.
When the Revolution Wind project was first proposed, Orsted and Eversource committed to invest $40 million in improvements to Rhode Island’s port infrastructure. The joint venture also promised to contribute $77.5 million toward the $157 million public-private partnership to “redevelop New London State Pier into a heavy-lift cargo and deep-water port with easy access to offshore wind lease areas” in Connecticut.
Orsted and Eversource have also proposed another 884-megawatt wind farm – Revolution 2 – to be sited nearby in federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Revolution’s planners have made numerous concessions to fishermen and the Fisheries Advisory Board. Among them: The Orsted/Eversource joint venture will create a gear loss claim process that will compensate fishermen for both lost and damaged gear and any associated business interruption; it will create and implement a comprehensive fisheries communication plan that will incorporate input from state agencies and the fishing community; and it will employ fisheries liaisons to serve as points of contact for local fishermen.
Orstead also committed to relocating boulders in a way to ensure sensitive habitats on the ocean floor are preserved. When moved, the boulders should not negatively impact essential fish habitats.
The CRMC on Tuesday night added supplemental language to minimize the impact to Cox’s Ledge requiring Orsted to microsite the turbines and carefully place the cables that run along the seafloor to the mainland.
Revolution Wind has committed to maintaining a grid layout of 1 nautical mile by 1 nautical mile, according to the CRMC staff federal consistency recommendation. It also promised to use fishing gear avoidance tactics, which will include the deployment of onboard gear observers, avoidance training and scout vessels.
“These project modifications are substantial,” the CRMC staff said in its federal consistency recommendatio. “They demonstrate Revolution Wind’s responsiveness to the commercial and recreational fishing communities for the continued long-term use of the project area by fishermen. By working with CRMC, Revolution Wind has eliminated or minimized significantly any potential adverse impacts of the project to commercial and recreational fisheries.”
In addition, Revolution Wind will provide $12 million in “direct financial mitigation” to Rhode Island fishermen operating in the Revolution Wind lease area. Revolution Wind will also set aside $333,333 for the Rhode Island Navigational Enhancement and Training Program.
Sam Wood is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Wood@PBN.com
