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Frequently Asked Questions

Project and benefits
  • What is Revolution Wind?
    Revolution Wind is a 704-megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm located in Ørsted and Eversource’s federal lease area, a 256-square mile area in federal waters midway between Block Island, Rhode Island and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

    Project survey work and permitting is underway, with local construction work on Revolution Wind slated to begin as early as 2023.
  • Who is developing Revolution Wind?
    Revolution Wind is bringing unparalleled experience in developing offshore wind to Connecticut and Rhode Island. It is a 50/50 partnership between Ørsted – the global leader in offshore wind – and Eversource, a national energy leader with homegrown expertise in regional energy transmission, including more than 100 years of experience delivering power to the region. Combined, the companies’ operational capabilities enable the region to reduce its environmental impact and contribution to climate change while spurring local economic development through clean, renewable energy from offshore wind.
  • How does Revolution Wind help Connecticut and Rhode Island meet its clean energy goals?

    Rhode Island has the most ambitious clean energy goal in the nation: 100 percent renewables by 2030. Connecticut has set a goal for 100 percent of the state’s electricity to come from zero carbon sources by 2040.

    Revolution Wind will help both states meet these ambitious clean energy goals in an affordable way by providing 400MW of offshore wind power to RI and 304MW to CT.

    The project will generate enough clean energy to power more than 350,000 Connecticut and Rhode Island homes and displace, by eliminating future emissions, more than one million metric tons of carbon pollution – the equivalent to taking more than 150,000 cars off the road. 

  • How will Revolution Wind create jobs, spur local economic development and support the local communities?

    Revolution Wind will serve as a key driver of jobs, economic growth, and investment – both now and in the future. The project is estimated to generate 1,200 jobs in Rhode Island and Connecticut during its construction phase, and dozens of good-paying, permanent full-time operations and maintenance positions overseeing and servicing the wind farm.

    Additionally, the project is expected to generate thousands of other indirect and induced jobs will be created to support project work – ranging from companies that will monitor wildlife and the seabed around the project to boosting local businesses who provide goods and services within the vicinity of the ports in which we will operate.

    Ørsted and Eversource are committed to supporting offshore wind education, supply chain and workforce development for the growing offshore wind industry in Connecticut and Rhode Island – positioning both states as offshore wind leaders and launching the region’s next great maritime industry.

    Offshore wind also presents educational partners, including colleges and universities, with an opportunity to advance research and workforce training. A collaborative development of curriculum and programs focused on offshore wind will create a sustainable industry right here in the region, that also complements other users of the port.


  • Will local residents and unions be considered for jobs?

    A highly talented workforce and sophisticated manufacturing base in the region will be critical to supporting the wind industry’s construction and operations activities in the years to come.

    We are committed to the building trades and workforce development and training. As part of the Revolution Wind project, we have committed significant dollars to develop the specialized skills and workforce training necessary to support this new maritime industry and will be working with the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades, the Connecticut State Building Trades Council, the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board and other workforce and educational institutions to meet our workforce needs.

    We will maximize the use of local labor, including unions, during the construction phases of the wind projects by leveraging the existing skilled labor pool, and funding offshore wind training and apprenticeship programs.

  • Will Revolution Wind impact Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers?
    Offshore wind is an increasingly cost-effective form of clean energy that stabilizes energy prices for customers. It will help to mitigate New England’s winter price spikes, in particular, by diversifying the energy mix and reducing the dependency on natural gas. Both the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority have approved 20-year power purchase agreements with local utilities for the project.
Community impact
  • Where will Revolution Wind be built?
    The project site is located approximately 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast, 32 miles southeast of the Connecticut coast and 12 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard, and is neighboring Ørsted and Eversource’s Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind projects.
  • Where will the cable come ashore? And what route will it take to the substation?

    Power generated by Revolution Wind will be transferred through a submarine transmission system, which will make landfall at Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. From there, one mile of underground transmission line will connect the landfall cable to a newly constructed substation, which will be constructed and connected to National Grid’s existing Davisville substation. The onshore transmission cable will remain buried below the roadways throughout the entire route.

  • Will ports in southeast New England be used for the project?
    Ørsted and Eversource will use State Pier in New London, and ProvPort and Quonset in Rhode Island to support the offshore wind industry throughout the region. The use of these facilities will not only bring jobs to each port, but also additional economic activity along the waterfront areas, boosting local businesses who provide goods and services within the vicinity of the ports.

    Ørsted and Eversource will invest $40 million in improvements to Rhode Island’s port infrastructure including ProvPort and Quonset.

    New London State Pier will be used for wind turbine staging and construction for Revolution Wind, as well as Sunrise Wind (NY) and South Fork Wind (NY) projects. Ørsted and Eversource have committed $77.5 million of the $157 public-private partnership to re-develop State Pier to meet the requirements of heavy-lift cargo, including the assembly of offshore wind turbine generators, a key step in offshore wind deployment. This redevelopment of State Pier will create 460 construction jobs. 
  • Will Revolution Wind impact the commercial fishing industry?
    Ørsted and Eversource understand the commercial fishing industry’s importance to New England and share a core commitment to the communities we serve. The project team is working closely with the fishing and maritime industry overall to minimize disruption and preserve fish stocks for future generations. We believe that both industries can make use of the ocean in a sustainable and mutually acceptable way.

    As part of our ongoing stakeholder engagement, the Revolution Wind project team incorporated, and continues to incorporate, many suggestions from fishermen and local stakeholders to balance the needs of the fishing community and mariners with this offshore wind energy. With both a marine biologist and a fisheries liaison on staff, the team will continue to work with stakeholders to gain critical input relating to marine life in Connecticut and Rhode Island waters to support strategies that further the coexistence of fisheries and offshore wind.

    In 2019, Ørsted and Eversource lead a joint effort among the five New England offshore wind lease holders to develop and adopt a uniform turbine layout across the New England wind energy areas. The layout is a uniform 1 nautical mile – by 1 nautical mile, east-to-west and north-to-south, turbine layout across all the region’s lease areas. The spacing is consistent with requests from members of the fishing community and other maritime stakeholders during our ongoing conversations with those groups and would create 231 distinct transit lanes across the wind energy area. This layout would improve navigational safety and facilitate search and rescue operations conducted by both vessel and aircraft.
  • Will there be any impact to marine species and other wildlife?
    We have conducted extensive environmental surveys up and down the East Coast – more than any other developer. All ecological aspects of the wind farm have been extensively investigated and the results of those studies will be included in permit applications. Measures will be taken to minimize the ecological impact of the wind farm.

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