A proposed Rhode Island Sound wind farm would use more than 200 turbines to produce 1,000 megawatts of power to provide electricity for Connecticut and other Northeastern states, authorities say.
Deepwater Wind announced Wednesday its plan to construct the Deepwater Wind Energy Center off the coast of Rhode Island, a so-called second generation offshore wind farm that will be larger, farther from shore and produce lower priced power than first generation wind farms.
The separate, proposed Cape Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts has come under fire for its proximity to shore and the cost of its power, which is double the price of fossil fuels.
Unlike the Cape Wind project that will provide power exclusively to Massachusetts, the Deepwater Wind will market its power to Connecticut, as well as New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and possibly other states.
“The Deepwater Wind Energy Center is a major leap forward for the offshore wind industry,” Deepwater Wind CEO William M. Moore said in a statement. “DWEC will be the first regional offshore wind energy center in the United States, with a wind farm and a transmission system serving multiple markets. The industry is maturing and becoming a major force in reshaping our national energy future for the better, and DWEC will lead this effort.”
Most turbines will be 20 to 25 miles from shore, and the closest turbine will be 13.8 miles from inhabited land. At those distances, the wind farm will be largely invisible from shore and the project site can use stronger winds found in the open ocean, Moore said.
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