The first of the turbines for the offshore wind farm known as Revolution Wind has been successfully installed marking the next milestone for the U.S. offshore industry. The project is unique as it becomes the first multi-state offshore wind farm in the U.S. and the first offshore wind project for both Connecticut and Rhode Island.
“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.” Similarly, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont highlighted, “The completion of this first turbine represents a milestone as we work towards decarbonizing our electric grid while also creating new, good-paying jobs in this growing sector for Connecticut residents.”
Revolution Wind will utilize 65 Siemens Gamesa turbines, the same 11-megawatt turbine model used at the recently completed South Fork Wind, the first large offshore project completed in the U.S. Located approximately 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast and 32 miles southeast of Connecticut, the new project is adjacent to South Fork Wind which is being used to supply power to New York State. Once in operation, Revolution Wind will have the capacity to generate 400 megawatts of offshore wind power for Rhode Island and 304 megawatts for Connecticut.
“Seeing the first turbine rise above the water at Revolution Wind is another unforgettable moment for this new American energy industry we’re building together,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted.
Ørsted is developing the project in partnership with Eversource. However, Eversource while completing its role in the construction has agreed to sell its interest in the project to a private equity manager, Global Infrastructure Partners. Eversource reported in 2023 that it planned to divest its investments in offshore wind energy to focus on its transmission and other onshore businesses.
The development of Revolution Wind is also supporting the creation of the ports to support the industry long term. The work is being supported by three ports. The State Pier in New London, Connecticut received an investment of more than $100 million from Revolution Wind for its redevelopment and is serving as the staging and marshaling port for the project. The turbines are being assembled at the port before being transferred to the site.
The loadout of the foundation components is being handled from Providence, Rhode Island’s ProvPort. The companies also invested $100 million in the development of this port for the offshore wind industry. The newly built ECO Edison, the first U.S. SOV for the wind sector is also based at ProvPort to support the construction project.
The crew transfer vessels and crew helicopters are operating from Rhode Island’s Quonset Point port. It will be the operations and maintenance base for the wind farm.
The project received its final federal approval in November 2023 and the first steel went into the water in May. Revolution Wind is expected to be in operation in 2025 and completed by 2026.
At the end of this week, Rhode Island along with Massachusetts is expected to announce the results of the next offshore solicitation which was a coordinated effort between the states along with Connecticut. It will mark the next step in multi-state cooperation with developers offered the opportunity to submit similar multi-state projects or to bid individually in the three states. The three states were calling for a combined total of up to 8.5 GW of additional capacity by 2030.
