NORTH KINGSTOWN – Two years prior,Gov. Dan McKeevisited the Quonset Business Park to mark the initial phase of construction on Revolution Wind, a multibillion-dollar offshore wind project that supporters felt could help reshape Rhode Island’s energy infrastructure.
“Wind represents the future of our state,” McKee stated on that day in 2023.
On Monday, August 25, McKee returned to the state-owned business park, this time with the Revolution project facing uncertainty.after the Trump administrationthree days prior, issued a stop to all offshore activities on the 65-turbine wind project that has agreements to provide electricity to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
“The most recent action from the Trump administration is a strike against Rhode Islanders. It’s a blow to our jobs. It’s a threat to our energy. It’s an assault on our families and their capacity to cover expenses,” McKee stated during a press conference, accompanied by the congressional delegation, state cabinet officials, and union representatives. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont organized a comparable event earlier that day.
What caused the cessation of the Revolution Wind initiative?
It remains uncertain why the wind farm has been halted at this time, as all 67 of its monopile foundations have already been driven into the ocean floor in the Atlantic, approximately 15 miles south of Little Compton. With 46 of its turbines already installed, the project is 80% complete. Much of the construction has taken place during this spring and summer, under President Trump’s administration, which has not concealed its stance.his dislike of renewable energy.
The work suspension directive issued by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management mentioned the necessity to reassess the project concerning “the safeguarding of the United States’ national security interests and the avoidance of disruption to appropriate uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and the territorial waters.”
McKee mentioned that he hasn’t received a complete explanation from Washington yet. He stated that he had asked to speak with Doug Burgum, the head of the U.S. Department of the Interior, who oversees BOEM, and was informed that they would be able to have a conversation “soon, within the next 24 hours, to figure out the intention here and what the solution is.”
“Since you can’t simply walk away from a project that’s 80% finished, which will provide power to 350,000 homes at an affordable price as we strive to keep energy costs as low as possible for our families,” McKee stated.
Initiatives to establish offshore wind projects in Rhode Island date back nearly two decades.
The Revolution Wind project is intended to represent the final result of initiatives aimed at advancing offshore wind energy in Rhode Island, which have been ongoing for almost 20 years.
Under the direction of former Governor Donald Carcieri, a Republican more recognized for the 38 Studios incident, the state took a significant gamble on offshore wind, arguing that if the country’s first ocean-based wind farm was constructed in Rhode Island, the state would establish itself as a center for an industry that was then viewed as full of potential.
The five-turbine Block Island Wind Farmbegan functioning in 2016 with minimal issues and has consistently achieved its yearly output targets ever since.
The initiative has faced significant backlash, despite the exorbitant costs that have burdened utility customers with hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses exceeding market rates.
However, the 20-year agreement with Revolution Wind, a 50/50 partnership between the Danish energy firm Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, was distinct. It had a set rate of 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour and was expected, when approved in 2019, to result in cost savings for utility customers.
Certainly, the cost is lower than what most Rhode Islanders are currently paying for electricity and significantly less than the rate that will be implemented in the winter when prices usually rise due to increased demand for natural gas, which is the main source of power generation in the area.
The Revolution initiative is also considered essential in efforts to achieve climate and renewable energy goals set by state law and to control Rhode Island’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Terry Gray, the head of climate policy in Rhode Island as the director of the state Department of Environmental Management, stated that without the Revolution Wind project, the state could still achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as mandated by the Act on Climate, although it would be more challenging.
He mentioned that the state would also need to locate a different source of renewable energy certificates to balance its electricity consumption from traditional sources. Since these certificates are available for purchase on the open market and can be accessed by other states with renewable energy mandates, their costs may fluctuate.
It could result in increased expenses for those certifications, which would ultimately be passed on to residents of Rhode Island, as Gray mentioned. (Rhode Island Energy reached a comparable conclusion when asked.)
There will be increasing demand for these credits, as all the states have renewable energy standards,” Gray stated. “It’s a market issue. It might become more costly.
Revolution Wind would provide a significant share of Rhode Island’s electricity.
Since Rhode Island is among the smallest states in terms of energy usage, the closure of the wind farm might significantly affect power availability.
As per information submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission, Revolution Wind is expected to produce roughly 20% of Rhode Island’s electricity each year. During winter, when energy demand decreases and wind speeds typically increase, the project could potentially supply a quarter of the need during certain times.
Rhode Island Energy, the state’s leading power company, states that it is closely monitoring the developments regarding Revolution Wind.
The difficulties in approving and constructing new generation projects, especially as data centers and other developments across the country are placing pressure on current resources, continues to raise worries about both resource sufficiency and cost,” said spokesperson Caroline Pretyman. “We still believe that an ‘all of the above’ comprehensive approach to energy sources provides the greatest advantage for our customers, achieving a balance between affordability, reliability, and sustainability.
It’s not only Rhode Island that relies on the wind farm’s output. The New England power grid, which is already under pressure, is incorporating Revolution Wind to fulfill demand that was previously declining but is now projected to rise due to ongoing electrification and the growth of data centers.
With regional natural gas pipelines operating at full capacity, nuclear power plants shutting down, and initiatives to bring in additional hydropower from Canada facing delays or obstacles, planners have turned to offshore wind for increased energy output.
The Independent System Operator New England, a non-profit organization responsible for the regional power grid, stated that it has been incorporating the 704 megawatts of power from the wind farm into its evaluations of short-term and long-term grid reliability.
“Postponing the project will heighten risks to dependability,” ISO-NE stated in a communication dated August 25.
As electricity demand increases, New England needs to maintain and expand its energy infrastructure,” the organization, which rarely addresses specific energy projects, added. “Unpredictable risks and threats to resources—no matter the technology—that have involved substantial capital investments, obtained required permits, and are nearing completion could hinder future investments, raise costs for consumers, and weaken the power grid’s reliability and the region’s economy both now and in the future.
Offshore wind has brought about financial investments and employment opportunities in Rhode Island.
The Ørsted report states that the Revolution Wind project has resulted in significant investments in regional ports, such as $125 million at the Port of Providence, $35 million at the Quonset Business Park, and $100 million at New London State Pier.
The company set up a manufacturing facility in ProvPort, where 130 employees assembled parts for Revolution Wind and the South Fork Wind Farm, a previous initiative by the company located off the coast of Rhode Island that has been providing electricity to Long Island since December 2023.
The company has also established a regional operations and maintenance center in Quonset, employing approximately 50 people. Union representatives stated that the entire project has created around 1,000 jobs in Rhode Island. Additionally, 1,500 jobs in states such as Texas and Louisiana have been supported through shipbuilding and other related activities, as reported by Ørsted.
Quonset is also the location where the transmission cable from Revolution is expected to come ashore. In November 2023, McKee and other officials visited the site to examine early stages of the cable’s onshore route leading to a substation that was then planned to be located in the park.
Since that time, the substation has nearly been completed – it is 90% done, as reported by a representative from Ørsted – and 82 miles of the 83-mile-long cable have already been installed.
Employees from Millwrights Local 1121 are at sea but cannot work on the cable while awaiting instructions from Washington, according to business representative Andy Benedetto.
Tony Vaz, a union carpenter who received training for offshore wind farm work in 2009, was scheduled to join them this week as a rope access technician responsible for overseeing the cable unspooling process. He has already completed two and a half months of assignments on the cable installation vessel and was set to depart again on August 28 for another assignment.
He was visiting Niagara Falls with his family when he received the announcement about the work halt.
“I spent nine hours driving and immediately came here, as this is very important to me,” said Vaz.
He mentioned that he had saved money from his prior job at the wind farm and anticipated assistance from his union, yet he felt disappointed with the circumstances.
“I hope he reconsider his decision and allows us to complete what we began,” he said regarding the president.
Diverse perspectives on the United States’ energy strategy
This is the second instance in which the Trump administration has halted an offshore wind project that was already in progress.
In the spring, following a one-month break, activity resumed on Empire Wind, located off the New York coastline, as news emerged that the administration had secured agreements from the state regarding a new natural gas pipeline.
In an interview with Fox News, when questioned about the Revolution order, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin stated that Trump “isn’t a fan of wind, its economics,” and emphasized that states should have more authority over fossil fuel-powered plants that can function continuously, as opposed to renewable energy sources that are not always available.
We require additional natural gas,” Zeldin stated. “We must construct more pipelines.
The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity emphasized the importance of increased fossil fuel production, stating that “the misleading stories promoted by climate alarmists years ago should no longer serve as the foundation for effective state or federal public policy.”
However, prior to the press briefing in North Kingstown, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the Democratic representative from Rhode Island who serves as the primary advocate in Congress for climate change issues, stated that the administration’s move is not truly related to energy policy.
Trump is conducting a political favor for the fossil fuel sector,” he stated. “We’ll simply have to observe the cost for this small act of coercion.
This piece first was published in The Providence Journal:“An attack on Rhode Islanders”: McKee and others criticize Trump for stopping the Revolution Wind project
