The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the construction and operations plan (COP) submitted by Revolution Wind LLC.
If approved by BOEM, Revolution Wind would be allowed to construct and operate an 880 MW wind energy facility off the shores of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The publication of the NOI opens a 30-day public comment period. During this time, BOEM will hold three virtual public scoping meetings and accept comments to inform the preparation of the EIS.
“Public input plays an essential role in identifying and mitigating any potential impacts from proposed energy development activities,” says Amanda Lefton, director of BOEM. “BOEM is committed to ensuring that any future offshore wind development is done safely and responsibly – and with the benefit of feedback from critical stakeholders.”
The Biden-Harris administration has set a target of 30 GW of installed offshore wind energy by 2030 which would create nearly 80,000 jobs. Advancing review of projects and creating greater certainty is critical to get the investments necessary to create a robust supply chain and to build this nascent industry to fight climate change and create good-paying jobs. If approved, the Revolution Wind project could directly create 1,200 jobs in Connecticut and Rhode Island – as well as thousands of induced jobs.
BOEM’s scoping process is intended to identify what should be considered in the Revolution Wind COP EIS. Throughout the scoping process, there will be multiple opportunities to help BOEM determine the important resources and issues, impact-producing factors, reasonable alternatives and potential mitigating measures that should be analyzed in the EIS.
Highlights from Revolution Wind’s proposal include:
- Construction and operation of an offshore wind project with a total capacity between 704-880 MW
- Installation of 100 turbines, up to two offshore substations and up to two export cables
- Monopile foundations for turbines, and monopile and jacket foundations for the offshore substations
- The project would be installed in federal waters approximately 17.4 nautical miles south of Rhode Island
- The project’s export cable would make landfall at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, R.I., and would interconnect to the electric transmission system via the existing Davisville Substation
Registration for the virtual public meetings may be completed, here.
Detailed information about the proposed wind energy facility, including how to comment, can be found here.
Photo: Revolution Wind’s project area map
