Revolution Wind installs its 1st offshore wind turbine

Photo courtesy of Southeastern CT Enterprise Region The Rolldock Storm arrived in the Port of New London on May 1 with the first delivery of tower sections for Revolution Wind, The project said Tuesday it has completed installation of the first wind turbine.

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By David Krechevsky

One down, 64 to go.

Revolution Wind, the nation’s first multistate offshore wind farm project, announced Tuesday it has installed its first wind turbine.

The turbine is the first of 65 Siemens Gamesa turbines to be installed off the coasts of Connecticut and Rhode Island. When complete, the project will provide 704 megawatts (MW) of power, including 304 MW to Connecticut and 400 MW to Rhode Island, enough to power more than 350,000 homes in the two states.

Each turbine will reach a maximum height of 873 feet, with three rotor blades measuring approximately 656 feet in length.

A centerpiece of the region’s blue economy, the project is a 50/50 partnership between Ørsted and Eversource Energy. The turbines are being installed approximately 32 miles southeast off the Connecticut coast, 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast, and 12 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard.

The $1.5 billion project is directly creating approximately 1,200 jobs in Rhode Island and Connecticut, officials said. The offshore construction phase employs hundreds of unionized workers and utilizes three Northeast ports and a variety of vessels.

One of the ports supporting the project is the State Pier in New London, where the turbines are being assembled. Ørsted and Eversource have invested more than $100 million in the State Pier redevelopment project.

In addition to installing the turbines, the project includes installing the wind farm’s foundations, two offshore substations and inter-array and export cables. Revolution Wind officials said that more than three-quarters of the turbine foundations are now in place.