Ørsted and Eversource are proposing an 884-MW wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.
Monday was the deadline to respond to the state’s 2022 request for proposals, which seeks to add 600 to 1,000 MW of offshore wind to the state’s grid.
PPL (NYSE:PPL) subsidiary Rhode Island Energy, which is running the offshore wind solicitation and will buy the power that it generates, told NetZero Insider Monday it would not immediately be releasing details of this solicitation.
But Ørsted and Eversource announced their proposal shortly after the noon deadline: Revolution Wind 2, an 884-MW project that would provide a $2 billion boost to Rhode Island’s green and blue economies, plus direct and indirect benefits in port infrastructure, job creation, environmental justice and workforce development in historically marginalized communities.
The two companies are partners on the 704-MW Revolution Wind 1, which would send electricity to Connecticut and Rhode Island. They also are collaborating on Sunrise Wind 1 and South Fork Wind and have proposed Sunrise Wind 2, all of which would feed New York’s electric grid.
Ørsted is the largest offshore wind developer in the world. Its portfolio includes Block Island Wind Farm off the Rhode Island coast, a five-turbine, 30-MW project that was the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. The company also is pursuing projects in New Jersey and Maryland.
Eversource, the largest energy provider in New England, is looking to sell its offshore wind interests but has said the process is taking longer than first expected.
Ørsted and Eversource said in a news release Monday that if their proposal was accepted, it would provide $35 million to a planned regional offshore wind hub at Quonset Point; result in local construction of two new crew transfer vessels in addition to the five already being built; and result in creation of a Rhode Island engineering center that would employ 75 engineers and serve as a U.S. hub for Ørsted.
Rhode Island’s second offshore wind solicitation opened Oct. 14, a result of clean energy legislation signed by Gov. Dan McKee in July 2022. McKee indicated then that the additional offshore wind power — combined with Block Island Wind Farm and the 400 MW of Revolution Wind 1 — could meet half of the state’s projected 2030 electricity needs.
It is an important part of the state’s strategy to use 100% renewable energy by 2033 and achieve net zero status by 2050.
Rhode Island Energy’s current timeline for the 2022 solicitation calls for review of bids with the state Office of Energy Resources on March 20; conditional selection of bidder(s) for negotiation of contracts on June 21; and submission of contracts for Public Utilities Commission approval on Nov. 13.
