In 1901, a gusher erupted from the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont, Texas. The sight of oil gushing out of the ground captured the attention and imagination of the country, and it launched one of the world’s most dynamic industries over the next century.
In Rhode Island, where we are the first state in the U.S. to deploy viable offshore wind turbines, we should think of the Block Island Wind Farm as our own version of that famous Texas gusher, albeit one that is a whole lot cleaner and suited for the economic and climate needs of the 21st century.
Like Texas, we in Rhode Island find ourselves the beneficiary of critical natural resources, namely our close access to the world’s richest wind resource in our coastal waters and our proximity to major urban energy-load centers in the Northeast corridor. Indeed, our offshore region has been called “the Saudi Arabia of Wind.” The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimates that existing offshore leases in the Northeast hold the potential of 21 gigawatts of offshore wind-generating capacity. The Clean States Energy Alliance expects the offshore wind sector to create 36,0000 new jobs across the country in the coming years, with Rhode Island competing for more than its share.
To remain a leader in this new global energy industry will require more than the serendipity of our geography. Rhode Island will need a number of other critical ingredients to capitalize on this tremendous economic opportunity.
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Peter Rothstein[/caption]
• First, it will require upgrades to our marine terminals, readying them to serve the construction and maintenance of new offshore wind farms. Both the Port of Providence and the Port of Davisville are recognized as among the most attractive sites in the region, and we are investing state bond dollars and other resources in our infrastructure to compete for this valuable business. Ørsted has also committed $40 million toward enhancements to our Rhode Island ports.
• Second, the state must work cooperatively with the private sector to ensure the development of a strong local supply chain. We have already taken steps to make our existing supply chain accessible through the Supply Rhode Island initiative and its incorporated offshore wind supply chain database.
• Third, we must capitalize on Rhode Island’s deep experience with the naval defense, maritime and ocean-research industries, which will provide a substantial foundation for the needs of offshore wind development. Our world-class academic institutions, including the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography and Ocean Engineering and Brown University’s engineering program, as well as the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, are training the experts that will be needed in the future, supplying research advances to accelerate new technology and providing the latest science and data on ocean environments.
There are now 16,000 jobs in R.I.’s clean energy economy.
These three elements are just a few of the many examples of the public-private partnerships that will preserve and strengthen our state’s position as a leader in this new global industry. Indeed, several recent announcements exemplify the momentum that we are seeing – specifically the June 24 announcement by GEV Wind Power, one of the world’s largest wind turbine maintenance companies, that it will locate its North American headquarters in Rhode Island.
The recently announced Revolution Wind project is expected to create more than 800 clean energy jobs and generate enough power for half the homes in Rhode Island. Ørsted and Eversource, the companies behind Revolution Wind, have pledged $4.5 million for offshore wind education and supply-chain development. There are now 16,000 jobs in R.I.’s clean energy economy, a 74% increase since 2014.
On July 18, the state hosted an Offshore Wind Summit at Innovate Newport, where leading global offshore wind companies explored business opportunities with local partners, another step toward securing Rhode Island’s place as a global leader. Like Texas at the turn of the 19th century, we stand poised to lead an energy renaissance and to serve as the pioneering state for a global industry that will help to fuel our economy well into the 21st century.
Stefan Pryor is Rhode Island secretary of commerce. Peter Rothstein is president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council.
