Block Island Wind Farm Advances to be First in RI,
First in Nation
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| Jeff Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind celebrates a moment of victory with DWW counsel, Robin L. Main on Tuesday night. (Photo Tracey C. O’Neill/Freelance Photographer) |
Providence, RI - In a unanimous vote on Tuesday
evening, the Coastal Resources Management Council adopted and approved
subcommittee recommendations advancing Deepwater
Wind‘s 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm to design and development
phase.
An unprecedented project, the five turbine
demonstration project wind farm is slated to be the first offshore wind farm
built in Rhode Island territorial waters and the very first offshore wind farm
in the U.S. “It’s a momentous night for Rhode Island,” said Jeffrey
Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind. “[Rhode Island] is going to be the first.”
Passing what Grybowski called “a critical
stage” in the permitting process, the renewable energy project also received
the go ahead from the state Department of Environmental Management, who on May
8 issued required water quality
permits and a Freshwater Wetlands permit for onshore activities.
According to Ronald Gagnon, DEM’s
Chief, Office of Technical and Customer Assistance, Deepwater’s receipt of the
DEM permits was a step in satisfying the CRMC stipulation for acquiring all
necessary state project permitting. The DEM permitting further allowed for the landing
of the projects underwater transmission cable at Scarborough State Beach. The
subterranean cable is planned for burial in a location on the state property
where a current utility easement exists.
Applause, handshakes and
congratulations
Upon receiving the vote among a chorus of
ayes, with nary a nay uttered, the hearing room on Capitol Hill broke into
applause and an immediate cacophony of congratulations. Absorbing the news in
what was clearly a celebratory atmosphere, Grybowski took the time to
personally thank each member of the full council, some who had been involved in
the process since its inception and had also worked on developing the Ocean Special Area Management Plan
(OSAMP).
For the rest of this article, including what's next, click here to go to the full article on Tracey's blog.