Block Island Wind Farm, the USA’s first offshore wind power facility, has completed its commissioning/ testing phases and has now commenced commercial operations.
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located 21 kilometres south of the state’s coast. According to Rocky Mountain Institute, residents of the island were paying among the highest electricity retail prices in the nation as its electricity was sourced from diesel generators. One million gallons of the fuel was used for power generation each year.
A Deepwater Wind project, the 30 megawatt, 5 wind turbine facility will avoid 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over its 20 year service life and is expected to save Block Islanders as much as 40% on energy bills.
Seven years after the original proposal, construction of Block Island wind farm began in April last year. The project was delivered on time and on budget.
“It’s official: America’s first offshore wind farm is powering homes and businesses with clean, reliable energy,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “This is a historic milestone for reducing our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s happening here in the Ocean State.”
According to RMI, Block Island only requires 1 MW capacity during off-season and 4 MW during the peak summer season, so surplus will be sent to National Grid’s mainland customers on Rhode Island under a PPA (power purchase agreement).
The project has also provided a jobs boom for the region, with more than 300 local workers involved with building the facility. Independent analysts have estimated the project will generate over USD $100 million in economic activity in Rhode Island.
“We’re more confident than ever that this is just the start of a new U.S. renewable energy industry that will put thousands of Americans to work and power communities up and down the East Coast for decades to come,” said Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski.
The USA has huge potential for offshore wind. The U.S. Department of Energy states more than 2,000 gigawatts of wind resources could be accessed in state and federal waters along U.S. coasts and the Great Lakes.
