Commercial wind power project off Rhode Island coast gets approval

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- The Interior Department announced its fourth approval for a commercial offshore wind project, located 15 miles southeast of Point Judith, R.I., which will have the capacity to power nearly 250,000 homes.

The Revolution Wind project will create 1,200 local jobs during its construction and, when finished, would generate 703 megawatts of clean energy, the Interior Department said.

Revolution Winds joins the Vineyard Wind project offshore Massachusetts, the South Fork Wind project offshore Rhode Island and New York, and the Ocean Wind 1 project offshore New Jersey. 

"President Biden has set an ambitious goal of achieving 30 [gigawatts] of offshore wind by 2030 -- and I am more confident than ever that we will meet it," said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement. "Together with industry, labor and partners from coast to coast, we are building an entirely new industry off the east and west and Gulf coasts.

The Biden administration said the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and federal partners are engaged in an all-of-government approach to collaborating on issues like ocean co-use and efficient permitting to build a robust offshore wind industry that benefits communities and co-exists with other ocean users with minimal effects.

"Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration's historic climate and clean energy agenda, companies have quadrupled their U.S. offshore wind investments to over $20 billion, representing thousands of good-paying union jobs," said Assistant to the President and National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi.

Biden has set a goal of having 30 gigawatts of offshore energy on the grid by 2030, even though he currently has only two facilities -- Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island and the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Pilot Project -- in commercial service.