U.S. Govt to Celebrate Construction of First Offshore Wind Farm

On Monday, July 27, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper will celebrate a historic “steel in the water” milestone to mark the start of construction for the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm.

Secretary Jewell will join Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo, the state’s congressional delegation and representatives of Deepwater Wind – the project developers – for a ferry ride to the Block Island Wind Farm construction site, where they will perform a ribbon cutting.

Spurring responsible development of offshore wind energy is part of a series of Obama Administration actions to increase renewable energy both offshore and onshore by improving coordination with state, local and federal partners, the Department of Interior said in a press release.

Deepwater Wind is constructing a five-turbine, 30-megawatt wind facility in state waters about three nautical miles southeast of Block Island. The project, scheduled to be online in 2016, is expected to power about 17,000 homes and will provide electricity to Block Island and communities on the Rhode Island mainland.