PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island Energy will issue a request for proposals in October to bring 1,200 megawatts of new offshore wind energy to the state, Gov. Daniel J. McKee announced Thursday.
Proposals will be due early next year for selection to be made in summer 2024. It is expected to be combined with offshore wind procurement efforts in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Responses would be evaluated by Rhode Island Energy in consultation with the R.I. Office of Energy Resources and Division of Public Utilities and Carriers.
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Rhode Island Energy in July declined to enter into a power-purchase agreement for Revolution Wind 2, a joint proposal from Orsted A/S and Eversource Energy LLC to add 600 to 1,000 megawatts of new offshore wind power off the state’s coast. But the utility said then the decision did not mean it was abandoning its commitment to offshore wind.
“Offshore wind is critical in advancing Rhode Island’s 100 percent renewable energy standard and Act on Climate objectives,” said McKee. “It’s more important than ever that we continue to push for new opportunities to expand offshore wind generation in Rhode Island while ensuring it is affordable for future generations. Rhode Island Energy recognizes the need for urgency in bringing more renewables online and I’m appreciative of their efforts to get another offshore wind RFP released.”
On Aug. 22 the proposed Revolution Wind 1 project from developers Ørsted and Eversource received a Record of Decision from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a step toward final approval it called “a major milestone in the federal environmental review process.”
The two energy companies say that the wind farm’s construction will create “thousands of direct, indirect, and induced jobs, as well as permanent operations and maintenance jobs across both states.” Eversource in May announced plans to sell its stake in three East Coast projects, including Revolution Wind.
When completed, the 704-megawatt solar project will deliver 400 megawatts of wind power to customers in Rhode Island and 304 megawatts to Connecticut, powering more than 350,000 homes in total. Ørsted and Eversource project the solar farm to go operational in 2025, with construction projected to “ramp up” next year.
The project is a driving force in Rhode Island’s quest to reach its 100% renewable energy goals by 2030, in addition to Act on Climate legal standards.
