National Grid, which provides power to Northeastern United States, filed for regulatory approval of a 20-year contract for energy from a new offshore wind farm – Revolution Wind.
Revolution Wind is a next-generation 400-megawatt offshore wind farm with up to 50 offshore wind turbines serving Rhode Island. The wind farm will be located over 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast in Deepwater Wind’s federal lease area.
The project, originally developed by Providence-based Deepwater Wind, has since been acquired by Orsted, one of the world’s leading developers of offshore wind farms. National Grid selected Revolution Wind in coordination with the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers.
The project is more than 13 times the size of the Block Island Wind Farm and was selected through a competitive offshore wind energy procurement process in collaboration with Massachusetts.
The procurement was part of Massachusetts’s 2017 offshore wind request for proposals, which will result in a total production of 1,200 megawatts of carbon-free energy (800 megawatts of which will be delivered to Massachusetts and 400 megawatts to Rhode Island).
Revolution Wind will bring renewable, low-cost energy to National Grid’s Rhode Island customers and contribute to the state and Company’s shared goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
The contract price for energy and environmental attributes is a fixed, nominal price of 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour (7.4 cents per kilowatt hour in 2017 dollars) over the entire term of the Purchase Power Agreement, setting a nationwide standard for developing offshore wind projects at reasonable costs for customers.
“National Grid remains committed to delivering energy to our customers in Rhode Island safely, affordably, and reliably long into the future,” said Tim Horan, President of Rhode Island, National Grid. “Revolution Wind shows our commitment to renewable energy not only in Rhode Island, but across our footprint. Through projects like Revolution Wind, we are on our way to helping Rhode Island achieve 1,000 MW of clean energy by 2020 and progressing toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.”
National Grid and the state of Rhode Island pioneered the delivery of offshore wind power through the introduction of Block Island Wind Farm, off the coast of Rhode Island, currently the only operational offshore wind farm in the U.S. This farm supplies 30 megawatts of electricity, more than enough to meet Block Island’s demand.
“The Revolution Wind project is a dramatic leap forward in our efforts to expand affordable, clean energy in Rhode Island,” said State Energy Commissioner Carol Grant. “The project will reduce consumer energy costs while supplying enough carbon-free electricity to meet a quarter of the state’s annual demand. It is a game changer for our energy system, environment, and our economy – one that will cement Rhode Island as a leader in the growing U.S. offshore wind industry and create hundreds of new jobs for our workforce.”
National Grid looks forward to working with the state of Rhode Island and Orsted to bring Revolution Wind to fruition, pending the approval of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission.