Rhode Island just gave clean energy some tailwind.
Gov. Gina Raimondo announced on May 23 that the Ocean State has chosen Providence-based clean energy developer Deepwater Wind to build an offshore, 400-megawatt windfarm.
The project, dubbed as "Revolution Wind," is the result of a plan set by the Raimondo administration to increase the state's resources portfolio "tenfold" to 1,000 megawatts by 2020.
In a move some are calling a surprise, the state chose Deepwater Wind's proposal after it took part in a clean energy procurement process led by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with state agencies like the office of Energy Resources independently considering proposals.
The announcement was made not long after a similar project was unveiled in Massachusetts, called Vineyard Wind. The farm will be 800 megawatts and will occupy the "same general area of federal waters" between Martha's Vineyard and Block Island.
"Rhode Island made history when we built the first offshore wind farm in the United States [Block Island Wind Farm]," Raimondo said in a statement. "Today, we are doing it again. This new, large-scale offshore wind project will bring clean and low-cost power to Rhode Islanders and further diversify our energy resources — all while adding good-paying jobs to our growing economy."
Ultimately, the final entity will be ten times the size of Block Island Wind Farm.
Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski echoed Raimondo's sentiments.
"Rhode Island pioneered American offshore wind energy, and it's only fitting that the Ocean State continues to be the vanguard of this growing industry," he said in a statement. "We are building a new industry here in Rhode Island while driving down the cost of clean energy. Revolution Wind will mean lots of jobs for Rhode Island and major investments in local infrastructure."
In an interview with the Providence Journal, Grybowski added that while he couldn't disclose the price of the energy developed by the farm, but he also said that Rhode Islanders would be "shocked" at its low cost, arguing that energy it generates would be cheaper than the Block Island's, which began at 24.4 cents per kilowatt hour that grows in price by 3.5 percent every year.
Additionally, the move would be a boon for the state's economy via job creation.
“We will be making very significant investments in Rhode Island port infrastructure,” Grybowski said in the interview. “I think they will be historic-level investments that will help position Rhode Island in this growing industry. We will make Rhode Island a major center of construction and operations activity. There are many hundreds of jobs associated with this.”
The next steps for the project include Deepwater Wind beginning negotiations with National Grid, which will then pass the proposed contract for regulatory review from the Public Utilities Commission and the federal government.
