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Wind Power News: Rhode Island
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Mass. wind farm needs R.I. regulators’ approval. But is SouthCoast Wind Farm an impossible choice?
Southcoast Wind Energy LLC confirmed earlier this month it wants to end existing contracts to sell power to utility companies in the hopes of getting a better deal. Complete story »
In Portsmouth: A rally cry against offshore wind
About 90 people gather at Island Park Beach to condemn SouthCoast Wind’s proposal to run transmission cables up the Sakonnet River into Portsmouth. Bill Thompson pointed to the wind turbine at Portsmouth High School, just east of Island Park Beach where about 90 people gathered Saturday to rally against offshore wind. The machine, Thompson told the crowd, “serves as a daily reminder of the major transformation that’s about to take place off our coasts.” Thompson, a Tiverton resident and one . . . Complete story »
Rhode Island regulators approve 704-megawatt offshore wind project
A large offshore wind farm aimed at helping Rhode Island meet its climate goals cleared a major hurdle late Tuesday night when state coastal regulators approved a key certification for the 704-megawatt project. The vote by the Coastal Resources Management Council moved Revolution Wind one step closer to becoming the third utility-scale offshore wind farm to be cleared for construction in America. Onshore cable work for the 65-turbine project proposed by Danish offshore wind company Ørsted and New England electric . . . Complete story »
R.I. fishermen threaten legal action over South Fork wind farm
A group of fishermen in Rhode Island is threatening to sue the state’s coastal agency, the federal government, and developer Ørsted over the under-development of South Fork wind farm in federal waters off Rhode Island. The Fishermen’s Advisory Board and the individual fishers it represents said in a letter Wednesday that the deal to approve the South Fork wind farm did not adequately compensate them for their losses. Making matters worse, they say, a fishing vessel working on the project . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind farms bring many uncertainties to RI fishing industry, consumers
“Developing wind farms and their array of cable is little different than strip mining mountains for coal.” Alex Kuffner’s article “In a breakthrough year for offshore wind, RI is playing a key role” (News, April 8) informs the reader of developments in the current state of offshore wind. There is a significant component of residents who worry about this. I refer to those who fish – commercially, recreationally and for-hire fishermen (charter) – as well as those who depend on them to . . . Complete story »
SouthCoast Wind foes demand answers from Portsmouth council
For a topic that wasn’t even on the council’s business agenda, it sure drew a lot of discussion. Dozens of residents opposed to SouthCoast Wind’s proposal to run cables from an offshore wind farm up the Sakonnet River and across part of north Portsmouth jammed the Town Council chambers Monday night. They demanded to know whether town officials were working behind the scenes to secure some sort of deal with wind energy developers – a charge council members vehemently denied – and . . . Complete story »
Turbine construction approved for first large US offshore wind farm
The U.S. Department of the Interior has completed the necessary reviews clearing the way for the start of turbine construction offshore between Rhode Island and New York for South Fork Wind. This will be the first commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project to start turbine construction in federal waters in the United States. The development is being called a major milestone towards meeting the U.S.’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. It is also the first . . . Complete story »
Dem senators from 4 states ask NOAA to address whale deaths
Democratic U.S. Senators from four states want federal environmental officials to address a spate of whale deaths on both coasts, urging “transparency and timeliness” in releasing information about whale deaths and their causes. The call late Tuesday by New Jersey Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker; Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse for action by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marked the first large-scale request for action by Democratic federal lawmakers . . . Complete story »
‘Take’ authorizations prove NOAA is lying about whale deaths
The marine science community knows this much for certain: The high-resolution geophysical (HRG) surveys used to site offshore wind turbines and transmission cabling causes harm and mortality to marine mammals. They know the intense noise of pounding thousands of monopiles deep into the seabed, along with an exponential increase of vessel traffic during construction and for maintenance afterwards will do the same—disturb, injure, and kill marine life. Here’s the proof: As of mid-March 2023, NOAA Fisheries has handed out 15 . . . Complete story »
Another big array of offshore turbines proposed for RI
The joint venture developing the first big offshore wind farm for Rhode Island is proposing to build a second, even larger project to supply power to the state. The partnership between Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted and New England utility Eversource has submitted a proposal for what they’re calling Revolution Wind 2, an 884-megawatt wind farm that would eclipse in size Revolution Wind, the 704-megawatt project they could soon start building in the vicinity of Rhode Island Sound. The companies . . . Complete story »