LITTLE COMPTON – Allco Renewable Energy Group made official its plans to develop up to four offshore wind projects in Rhode Island at sites including two south of Little Compton. Although it filed preliminary applications with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council on Nov. 21, the firm did not publicly announce its intentions until Monday, Nov. 26.
“Because of Governor Carcieri’s laudable commitment to developing renewable energy resources through wind power, we believe Rhode Island could be the first state to successfully develop an offshore wind farm in the United States,” said Jim Wavle, managing director of Allco Renewable Energy Group. “We are committed to a community-based approach and have successfully worked with communities to develop renewable energy resources throughout the United States.
“We’re excited to help make Governor Carcieri’s vision of meeting 15 percent of Rhode Island’s energy needs through the development of wind power resources in Rhode Island a reality,” Mr. Wavle added. “In particular, the offshore wind project proposed by Allco south of Block Island could make the island the first community in the nation wholly-powered by wind energy which will significantly reduce electric rates for island residents.”
Four of the permit applications submitted to the CRMC request permission to place meteorological masts in four of the offshore districts identified in the governor’s wind siting study. The masts would analyze winds strengths for at least a year and a half before. The other four permit applications submitted relate to the actual building of wind projects in each of those areas. CRMC has begun the process of determining the information that would be needed to complete the permitting of wind farms in Rhode Island’s coastal waters.
Allco says its approach assumes that Rhode Island would receive revenue from the project, either through revenue participation, joint ownership or a combination of both.
The firm also said thaty it recognizes that an offshore wind energy project “must be harmoniously integrated with existing environmental, recreational and commercial uses,” and would address all concerns during the process..
Monday, November 26, 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/11/26/allco-makes-offshore-wind-plans-official/