U.S. Department of Interior Approves Revolution Wind Project Off Coast of RI
GoLocalProv News Team
U.S. Department of Interior Approves Revolution Wind Project Off Coast of RI
It will have an estimated capacity of 704 megawatts of clean energy, capable of powering nearly 250,000 homes.
The news by the federal government comes just weeks after Pennsylvania-owned Rhode Island Energy (RIE) rejected the bid by Ørsted and Eversource to build "Revolution Wind 2," an offshore wind project off the coast that would generate 884-MW.
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It is expected to create an estimated 1,200 local jobs during the construction phase, and "marks another step in fulfilling President Biden’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030," according to DOI.
“Today’s approval is not the end of our work on this project,” Haaland continued. “We will continue to maintain open communication and frequent collaboration with federal partners, Tribal Nations, states, industry and ocean users to address potential challenges to and identify opportunities for the continued success of the U.S. offshore wind industry.”
This is the Department’s fourth approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project, joining the Vineyard Wind project offshore Massachusetts, the South Fork Wind project offshore Rhode Island and New York, and the Ocean Wind 1 project offshore New Jersey.
About Review
According to DOI, after carefully considering the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) alternatives, including public comments received on the draft EIS, the Department has approved Revolution Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP) under its preferred Alternative G identified and analyzed in the EIS. This preferred alternative will meet energy needs by installing fewer wind turbines than originally proposed by the developer to reduce impacts to visual resources, benthic habitat, and ocean co-users, says DOI. Alternative G includes up to 79 possible locations for the installation of 65 wind turbines and two offshore substations within the lease area.
The Record of Decision includes an extensive range of measures aimed at avoiding, minimizing and mitigating the potential impacts that may result from the construction and operation of the project. Among them, Revolution Wind has committed to establishing fishery mitigation funds to compensate losses directly arising from the project incurred by recreational and commercial fisheries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and to creating a direct compensation program to reimburse lost revenues for fisheries from other states. Additionally, Revolution Wind has committed to measures such as vessel speed restrictions and construction clearance zones to reduce the potential for impacts to protected species, such as marine mammals, sea turtles, and Atlantic sturgeon.
BOEM worked with Tribes, federal, state and local government agencies, and reviewed more than 120 comments provided by industry, ocean users, and other key partners and stakeholders to develop these mitigation measures. BOEM considered the information obtained from these meetings and public comments when developing the final EIS, a critical step to ensure the project’s potential environmental impacts are fully analyzed and to identify any measures to mitigate those impacts for the Record of Decision.
The record of decision can be found on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) website. A notice of availability of the Record of Decision will publish in the Federal Register in the coming days.
Latest on Offshore Wind
According to DOI, since the President took office, companies have announced 18 offshore wind shipbuilding projects as well as investments of nearly $3.5 billion across 12 manufacturing facilities and 13 ports to strengthen the American offshore wind supply chain, representing thousands of new jobs.
“Revolution Wind represents another step forward in achieving the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030," said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Elizabeth Klein. “The project’s approval underscores the Administration’s commitment to promoting domestic energy production and fighting climate change, while promoting economic growth and fostering environmental stewardship within coastal communities. We are committed to working closely with Tribes, state and local leaders, industry, ocean users, and key stakeholders to responsibly develop this clean energy resource and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.”
With Tuesday's announcement, BOEM remains on track to complete reviews of at least 16 offshore wind project plans by 2025, representing more than 27 gigawatts of clean energy, according to DOI.