PROVIDENCE – Orsted A/S and Eversource Energy on Monday announced that they have submitted a proposal for a second new offshore wind farm, this one to deliver power to more than 500,000 Rhode Island homes and pump $2 billion into the state’s blue economy.
The proposed 884-megawatt Revolution Wind 2 project is expected to create hundreds of jobs, including roughly 75 new local engineering jobs in a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as an Orsted engineering center of excellence in the U.S., as well as $35 million to realize Quonset Development Corp.’s vision for a Regional Offshore Wind Logistics and Operations Hub at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, according to a news release. It will also spur the construction of two new crew transfer vessels in Rhode Island to serve Orsted’s U.S. portfolio, on top of the five already being built by Blount Boats and Senesco Marine, according to the release.
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“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 executive vice president and CEO Americas at Orsted.
The “starting five” is a reference to the five offshore wind turbines off Block Island, the first such project in U.S. waters.
“We’re ready to deliver even more good-paying jobs and affordable clean energy to the Ocean State,” Hardy said, “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.”
The proposal from Orsted and Eversource was in response to a request for proposals for offshore wind procurement released by the utility company Rhode Island Energy last October.
Ted Kresse, a Rhode Island Energy spokesperson, declined to provide additional information, referring questions to publicly available documents.
The deadline to submit proposals was Monday, and it wasn’t immediately clear if other proposals had been received.
Rhode Island Energy, the R.I. Office of Energy Resources and the R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers will review the bids on March 20, and a winning bid is slated to be selected on June 21.
That selection is conditional upon further contract negotiations between the bidder and Rhode Island Energy. A tentative contract must be submitted to the R.I. Public Utilities Commission by Nov. 13 for approval.
The request for proposals is a result of state legislation signed by Gov. Daniel J. McKee in July aimed at increasing renewable energy proliferation in Rhode Island. A spokesperson for McKee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Revolution Wind 2 is the second Rhode Island wind farm project proposed by Orsted and Eversource. The companies have already proposed a 704-megawatt Revolution Wind Farm for federal waters off the coast of Block Island.
Assuming the first Revolution Wind project secures the necessary permits on the latest schedule, construction for that project is slated to start in the fall, with a targeted 2025 completion date. Once completed, the project will supply power to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Revolution Wind 2 would help advance Rhode Island’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2033. The carbon emissions achieved by Revolution Wind 2 would be the equivalent of taking more than 265,000 cars off New England roads, according to the release.
“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, CEO and president of Eversource Energy. “Our latest proposal harnesses the unmatched combination of our onshore, regional transmission expertise together with Orsted’s considerable offshore capabilities. We applaud state leaders for their commitment to combatting climate change and delivering a clean-energy future for Rhode Islanders.”
(UPDATE: Corrects Revolution Wind 1 project is slated to start in the fall in 13th paragraph.)
