Rhode Island

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Rhode Island’s offshore wind potential is over 25.6 GW, according to data from NREL. In early November, 2016, Deepwater WInd’s 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm began operations in anticipation of running at full capacity by late November. This is the nation’s first offshore wind farm. It is comprised of five turbines mounted to the Gulf Coast-manufactured foundations. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have equal terms on a 400 square-mile Wind Energy Area (WEA). Deepwater Wind holds the commercial lease to develop the WEA and has proposed a project of up to 1200 MW—enough to power 350,000 homes. In 2010, the state received American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds of $22.3 million to redevelop the Quonset Business Park to accommodate the offshore wind industry.

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State Resources

Titlesort descending Source/Sponsor Date
Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP)- Volume 1 Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) Oct 9 2010
Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP)- Volume 2 Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) Oct 9 2010
Rhode Island Offshore Wind Stakeholders Final Report Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (RIOER) Feb 26 2008
Rhode Island Stakeholder Concerns Regarding the New York Wind Energy Area Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Jul 22 2016
Rhode Island- Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
Rhode Island- Massachusetts Area of Mutual Interest (AMI) for Commercial Wind Development- Call for Information and Nomination (CFI) and Notice of Intent (NOA) to Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Sep 20 2011
Rhode Island- Massachusetts Area of Mutual Interest (AMI) for Commercial Wind Development- Call for Information and Nomination (CFI) and Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Sep 19 2011
Rules and Regulations Governing the Implementation of a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Jul 25 2007
Rules and Regulations Governing the Review of a Utility Scale Offshore Wind Project As Described in R.I.G.L. section 39-26.1-8 [Docket No. 4139] Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Jan 21 2010
State Guide Plan Element 211, Economic Development Policies and Plan Rhode Island State Planning Council Nov 2 2001
State Guide Plan Element 781, Rhode Island Energy Plan 2002 Rhode Island State Planning Council Nov 2 2001
Study on Suitable Harbors for Offshore Wind Traffic Clarendon Hill Consulting Oct 1 2013
Technical Assessment of Onshore and Offshore Wind Generation Potential in New England Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE) May 1 2007
Technical Requirements for Wind Generation Interconnection and Integration Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE) Nov 3 2009
Threading a Moving needle: The Spatial Dimensions Characterizing US Offshore Wind Policy Drivers Elsevier Aug 19 2021
Tilting At Windmills: The Emerging U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Industry Kleinman Center for Energy Policy: University of Pennsylvania Oct 2 2017
Title 39 Public Utilities and Carriers Chapter 39-26.1 Long-Term Contracting Standard for Renewable Energy Section 39-26.1-7 Rhode Island Legislature Jun 15 2010
Title 39 Public Utilities and Carriers Chapter 39-26.1 Long-Term Contracting Standard for Renewable Energy Section 39-26.1-8 Rhode Island Legislature Jun 26 2009
U.S. Job Creation in Offshore Wind Report NYSERDA, MassCEC, MADOER, RI Office of Energy Resources, Clean Energy States Alliance Nov 2 2017
U.S. Jones Act Compliant Offshore Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Study NYSERDA, MassCEC, MADOER, RI Office of Energy Resources, Clean Energy States Alliance Nov 2 2017
U.S. Offshore Wind Finance and Insurance Forum The Business Network for Offshore Wind Feb 27 2019
U.S. OFFSHORE WIND POWER: AN INDUSTRY IN MOTION Kleinman Center for Energy Policy: University of Pennsylvania Aug 1 2018
Unsolicited Lease Request Areas Within the Area of Mutual Interest (AMI) US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Dec 10 2010
Will Communities "open-up" to Offshore Wind? Energy Research & Social Science Jun 29 2017
Wind Energy Planning Areas- Massachusetts to Virginia US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Feb 10 2012

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