Rhode Island’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm marked a major milestone Tuesday with the successful installation of its first turbine.
Revolution Wind, a joint project between Ørsted and Eversource, completed the installation about 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast. The wind farm, which will also serve Connecticut, is the nation’s first multi-state offshore wind project.
The 400-megawatt portion allocated to Rhode Island is expected to power more than 350,000 homes once fully operational, bringing the state closer to its climate targets.
“This is a monumental moment for Revolution Wind, the Northeast region, and Rhode Island,” said Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee. “The installation of the first turbine speaks to the strong private and public partnership driving the project forward.”
The project is creating approximately 1,200 jobs across Rhode Island and Connecticut, bolstering the region’s blue economy and clean energy sectors.
Revolution Wind will utilize 65 Siemens Gamesa turbines, each with an 11-megawatt capacity. The same model was recently used at the completed South Fork Wind project.
Block Island Wind Farm, located approximately 3.8 miles from New Shoreham, was the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. The five-turbine, 30 MW project was developed by Deepwater Wind, now known as Ørsted US Offshore Wind. Construction began in 2015 and it was commissioned on December 12, 2016.
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island hailed the achievement, saying, “Rhode Island has been the proud home of many firsts for the growing offshore wind industry, and we’re excited to celebrate another major clean energy milestone today.”
The project’s offshore construction phase involves hundreds of union workers, three Northeast ports, and various vessels. Crews are installing foundations, two offshore substations, inter-array and export cables, and wind turbines.
More than three-quarters of the turbine foundations are already in place offshore.
Three New England ports play crucial roles in building Revolution Wind:
State Pier in New London, Connecticut, serves as the staging and marshaling port, where local union labor assembles the turbines. Ørsted and Eversource invested over $100 million in the State Pier redevelopment project.
In Providence, crews handle loadout of advanced foundation components built by more than 125 local union workers at ProvPort. The $100 million investment at ProvPort represents Rhode Island’s largest offshore wind supply chain investment to date.
Quonset Point in Rhode Island hosts crew helicopters and locally built crew transfer vessels.
Onshore construction of the project’s transmission system continues in North Kingstown, R.I.
Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner emphasized the project’s significance, stating, “Today marks a significant milestone in our state’s commitment towards a more sustainable future for all Rhode Islanders.”
The Revolution Wind project is crucial to Rhode Island’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2033 and meeting emission reduction objectives set by the Act on Climate.
Chris Kearns, Acting Commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, noted, “The Revolution Wind project plays a crucial role in advancing the state’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2033 and meeting our Act on Climate emission reduction objectives.”
Michael Sabitoni, General Secretary-Treasurer of the Laborers International Union of North America and President of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council, praised the project’s impact on local labor.
“It’s exciting to see Revolution Wind reach this key construction milestone, and it is a testament to the hardworking Rhode Islanders who are literally building the foundations of our clean energy future,” Sabitoni said.
The Revolution Wind project site is adjacent to Ørsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind, America’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm. Ørsted recently broke ground on another neighboring project, Sunrise Wind.
As offshore wind development continues to expand in the Northeast, Rhode Island remains at the forefront of this growing industry, combining clean energy production with economic development and job creation.