The US state of Rhode Island looks as if it will include the site of one of the first offshore wind farms in the country after its governor Donald Carcieri selected Deepwater Wind to develop a $1 billion project.
The exact location of the project has yet to be determined but it is to generate 1.3 million MWh/year – equivalent to 15 per cent of the state’s electricity needs, suggesting a total capacity in the order of 500 MW. Deepwater Wind will also construct a manufacturing facility in Rhode Island to serve projects in the northeastern USA, a move that the state hopes will enable it to become a regional base for the offshore wind industry.
Deepwater Wind was chosen from a group of seven proposals submitted after the state issued a request for proposals in April 2008. The company, which is co-owned by FirstWind, capital investment firm DE Shaw & Co., and asset management company Ospraie Management, has 90 days to negotiate a formal agreement with Rhode Island.
“This is much more than an energy project. This is about creating a new industry in Rhode Island; an industry that puts Rhode Island at the epicentre of the emerging alternative energy market” said Governor Donald L. Carcieri. “Deepwater Wind will help bring new economic activity, jobs and opportunity to Rhode Island … [Its] jacket foundations are the ideal cost-effective solution for the deeper waters in our region.”
Deepwater Wind has pledged an investment of $1.5 billion to construct a regional manufacturing facility in the state, creating up to 800 jobs. Its strategy is to develop several utility-scale offshore wind farms in the northeast USA’s deep waters.
Rhode Island has set a target of generating 20 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources, three-quarters of which will be based on wind.
Another key offshore wind project is planned for Nantucket Souns, Massachusetts. The 420 MW project is currently undergoing permitting but has been opposed by local groups owing to its visual impact.
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