Rhode Island Energy says it won’t move forward on offshore wind energy bid

Source: By Brian Amaral, Boston Globe • Posted: Sunday, July 23, 2023

Guests tour the five turbines of America's first offshore wind farm, owned by the Danish company, Orsted, off the coast of Block Island, R.I., in October.
Guests tour the five turbines of America’s first offshore wind farm, owned by the Danish company, Orsted, off the coast of Block Island, R.I., in October.David Goldman/Associated Press

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island Energy says it won’t move forward on a power-purchase agreement for a joint Ørsted and Eversource proposal to build a major offshore wind project in the waters off Rhode Island, in part because it would be too expensive for customers.

The utility made the announcement Tuesday. It found that the proposal, called Revolution Wind 2, didn’t meet all the requirements under state law, including a requirement “to reduce energy costs.”

“We recognize some will be disappointed that we didn’t choose to move forward on negotiating this PPA, but that doesn’t mean we are abandoning our commitment to offshore wind in Rhode Island,” Dave Bonenberger, president of Rhode Island Energy, said in announcing the decision Tuesday. “In fact, we are already in discussions with state and regional leaders about new opportunities to bring more offshore wind to the state, which we hope to progress in the coming months.”