The Block Island Wind Farm is an offshore wind energy project located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, United States. It is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States and the first to operate in the Atlantic Ocean.
Project overview
- Developer: Ørsted (formerly Danish energy company DONG Energy) in partnership with Deepwater Wind, a U.S.-based offshore wind developer.
- Owner/Operator: Ørsted US Offshore Wind and Deepwater Wind jointly own and operate the facility.
- Site location: Approximately 4 nautical miles (7 km) southeast of Block Island, within the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge marine area.
- Construction period: Groundbreaking took place in 2015; turbine installation began in early 2016. The wind farm was commissioned and began commercial operation in December 2016.
- Capacity: The farm consists of five General Electric (GE) 6‑MW offshore wind turbines (model GE Haliade‑6), giving a total installed capacity of 30 MW.
- Electrical infrastructure: A subsea cable transmits electricity to an on‑shore substation in Point Judith, Rhode Island, where it is integrated into the New England power grid.
Technical characteristics
- Turbine type: GE Haliade‑6, a multi‑MW, three‑blade, horizontal‑axis wind turbine designed for offshore deployment.
- Rotor diameter: 150 m, with a hub height of 84 m.
- Annual generation: Expected to produce approximately 120 GWh per year, enough to supply electricity to about 17,000 Rhode Island households, representing roughly 1 % of the state's electricity consumption at the time of commissioning.
Environmental and regulatory context
The project underwent extensive environmental review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Mitigation measures were implemented to protect marine wildlife, including seabird monitoring and marine mammal observations. The wind farm’s location within a National Wildlife Refuge required a supplemental environmental impact assessment, which concluded that the project would not cause significant adverse effects to the refuge’s marine ecosystem.
Economic and policy significance
Block Island Wind Farm was built under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Rhode Island Power Purchase Agency (RIPPA), which contracted the 30 MW output for a 20‑year term at a fixed price. The project demonstrated the economic viability of offshore wind in the United States and served as a pilot for subsequent larger‑scale developments along the East Coast, influencing federal and state offshore wind policies and incentives.
Operational performance
Since its commissioning, the wind farm has operated with a capacity factor averaging around 45 % in its first few years, comparable to on‑shore wind farms in the region. Routine maintenance is conducted by Ørsted’s service teams, and the turbines incorporate remote monitoring and predictive analytics to optimize performance and reliability.
Future developments
The successful deployment of Block Island Wind Farm has spurred interest in additional offshore wind projects in New England, including the planned Revolution Wind (Rhode Island–Massachusetts) and Vineyard Wind (Massachusetts) projects, which aim to achieve capacities measured in gigawatts.
References
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data on offshore wind capacity.
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 4722 (Block Island Wind Farm).
- Ørsted press releases and project fact sheets (2015‑2024).
- Rhode Island Power Purchase Agency (RIPPA) annual reports.