Governor Dan McKee today announced the request for proposals for the offshore wind procurement has been released by the State’s primary utility company, Rhode Island Energy, for up to 1,000 megawatts of new offshore wind capacity.
In July, Governor McKee signed into law historic clean energy legislation, sponsored by Chairwomen Dawn Euer and Representative Art Handy, that seeks to expand Rhode Island’s offshore wind energy resources. The new law requires a market-competitive procurement for between 600 and 1,000 megawatts of newly developed offshore wind capacity.
“Last month, I stood with Rhode Island’s congressional delegation and local leaders to break ground on the South Quay Marine Terminal project in East Providence,” said Governor McKee. “When combined with the enhancements of ProvPort, these infrastructure investments greatly expand our offshore wind staging capabilities, bringing jobs and economic opportunity to Rhode Island. Continuing Rhode Island’s national leadership in the offshore wind industry, today we are announcing the request for proposals for our third major offshore wind project, which will contribute to our state’s clean energy future.”
This offshore wind procurement will potentially meet at least 30 percent of Rhode Island’s estimated 2030 electricity demand. The electricity from this project has the potential to power approximately 340,000 homes each year. When added to the 30-megawatt Block Island Offshore Wind Farm and the planned 400-megawatt Revolution Offshore Wind project, about half of the state’s project energy needs will be powered by offshore wind.
“With the release of the state’s largest offshore wind procurement RFP to date, Rhode Island is demonstrating our commitment to securing clean energy, reducing our dependence on natural gas, stabilizing long-term energy costs for consumers and capturing significant economic development and job benefits,” said Interim State Energy Commissioner Chris Kearns. “This is a major milestone in the progress toward achieving the nation leading 100 percent Renewable Energy Standard by 2033, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals in the Act on Climate.”
The offshore wind procurement RFP will be posted at the following website: https://ricleanenergyrfp.com/. Offshore wind project proposals by bidders will be due to Rhode Island Energy on February 1, 2023.