Construction of first US offshore wind farm enters final phase

Preparations for the the first solar farm in the US, Block Island Wind Farm, are well under way, with the regulatory permits in place and, funding procured, and the jacket installation complete, project developer Deepwater Wind said on Monday.

The required equipment for the farm, towers, blades and five massive turbines had received at the site and were ready for assembly.

The blades arrived from Denmark late last month, while the turbines are currently under way across the North Atlantic. Meanwhile, the turbine engines are on their way to Block Island from France.

Work on the installation of towers will start when the vessel arrives. The work is expected to start in August.

Installation of the 20-mile cable connecting Block Island with the mainland was completed on 28 June, providing the island with its first electrical and fibre optic connection ever.

A separate cable had been installed by the developer and operator of the farm, Deepwater Wind, linking the facility with Block Island. The company expects to complete cable linkages between the five wind towers this month.

The wind farm is entering its third and final phase of construction. The five turbines, which will  be installed by the company, off the coast of Block Island, will provide 90 per cent of the island's power, while the balance 10 per cent will be distributed on mainland Rhode Island.

''We've been working on getting this project going for over 10 years, and we've been in construction for two and to be here standing…is something a lot of us have looked forward to for a long time,'' said Bryan Martin, chairman of Deepwater Wind.

''This is the way to rebuild our economy,'' governor Raimondo said. ''We cannot bring back old-fashioned manufacturing.''