The U.S.’ first offshore wind farm will begin commercial operations in a “matter of days,” developer Deepwater Wind has revealed.
In its latest update on the Block Island Wind Farm, Deepwater Wind says it has now completed the testing phase for the project, a 30 MW offshore wind farm situated roughly three miles off the coast of Block Island, R.I.
During its four-month testing phase, the Block Island Wind Farm posted some impressive performance stats, according to Deepwater: So far, the project has produced a total of more than 1 GWh of energy. (Its first watt of power was produced on Sept. 12, the developer notes.)
Deepwater Wind is now finalizing operations protocols with the New England grid operator to get the final sign-off to start commercial operations. That process should be complete in the coming days, the developer says.
Jeffrey Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind, notes that the company is “truly proud of the wind farm’s performance to date.”
“The wind farm’s performance has been exceptional, even in some of the harshest weather conditions offshore. In late November, for example, the wind farm produced energy in 53 mph wind gusts,” he says.
Editor’s note: North American Windpower recently took a tour of the project to get a closer look; the coverage can be found here.
