Offshore

Nine miles of Rhode Island power lines, substations to be replaced to carry offshore wind power

Nine miles of Rhode Island power lines, substations to be replaced to carry offshore wind power
(Photo courtesy: Nicholas Doherty/Unsplash)

Rhode Island Energy (RIE) has begun work to replace nine miles of power lines to allow power from the upcoming Revolution Wind offshore wind farm to be added to the grid.

The current infrastructure is not robust enough to handle the new conductor that is needed to handle the load from Revolution Wind, RIE said. The power lines are being rebuilt in North Kingstown, East Greenwich and Warwick.

Revolution Wind, a partnership between Ørsted and Eversource, develops offshore wind for Rhode Island and Connecticut. In 2022, Governor Dan McKee signed legislation that requires all electricity in Rhode Island to be replaced by renewable energy by the year 2033.

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The wind farm will be located approximately 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast between Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard. Once completed, wind power from more than 60 turbines will bring power to the land-based grid at Quonset Point. The project will bring 400 MW of offshore wind power to RI and is expected to be fully operational in 2025.  

Many of the older power lines and substations need to be updated in order to connect the Revolution Wind farm to RIE’s power grid, according to RIE, and construction on the power lines is already underway. The nine miles of power lines are expected to be replaced by the end of 2024. Additionally, a substation is being built in Davisville that will help distribute the wind power.