Orsted and Eversource have submitted a joint proposal in response to Rhode Island’s latest offshore wind solicitation, for an 884MW project.
Revolution Wind 2 represents more than $2bn in direct economic benefits to the Rhode Island economy, said the partners.
Together with Orsted and Eversource’s Revolution Wind – the state’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm – Revolution Wind 2 would help advance the state’s 100% clean energy by 2033 climate goal.
“From the ‘starting five’ at America’s first offshore wind farm to the major work already underway for Revolution Wind, we’re proud to be Rhode Island’s trusted offshore partner,” said Group EVP and CEO Americas at Orsted David Hardy.
“We’re ready to deliver even more good-paying jobs and affordable clean energy to the Ocean State, and we’re confident that our new proposal will advance Rhode Island’s climate goals while delivering on the promise of a sustainable economic engine rooted in thriving port facilities and powered by local union labour.”
If selected Revolution Wind 2 would deliver investments in the state’s existing ports, including $35m to realise Quonset Development Corporation’s vision for a Regional Offshore Wind Logistics and Operations Hub at Quonset Point.
Building on the state’s historic shipbuilding capabilities, Revolution Wind 2 will enable the construction of two new crew transfer vessels in Rhode Island to serve Orsted’s US portfolio, on top of the five already being built by Blount Boats and Senesco Marine as part of our Revolution Wind investments.
Orsted will open a new US Engineering Hub in Rhode Island, creating roughly 75 new local engineering jobs in a facility that will serve as an Orsted engineering centre of excellence in the US.
Revolution Wind 2 will also make “tens of millions of dollars” of direct investments to support Rhode Island’s supply chain and supplier diversity, workforce training, education and research, environmental justice and biodiversity, “putting Rhode Islanders front and centre”.
Orsted and Eversource are developing the 704MW Revolution Wind project and are expected to start construction on the project later this year.
Revolution Wind will deliver 400MW of clean power to Rhode Island.
The project is expected to be operational in 2025.