Next week, the country’s first offshore wind farm will begin construction in Rhode Island. Deepwater Wind is a five turbine, 30-megawatt renewable energy development  off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island.  This project has moved forward in record time, thanks to an ocean planning process that took into consideration the views of fishermen, businesses, sailors, residents and other stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcome for Rhode Island, its residents and businesses. 

Below is a statement from Addie Haughey, Acting Director of Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Planning Program:

“The ocean is getting crowded, and figuring out in advance how you want to use your limited space just makes sense.  Deepwater Wind is a testament to this simple concept. Rhode Island decided as a state that they wanted to pursue offshore clean energy. They developed an ocean plan to ensure that projects could move forward efficiently and with buy-in from all the people that use and care about Rhode Island’s coastal and ocean resources, including sailors, fishermen, clean energy and shipping businesses, scientists and conservationists.

As a result, the US’s first offshore wind farm has become a reality in record time, with significant support from Rhode Island residents and businesses. Deepwater Wind and Rhode Island can be a model for how development can move forward sustainably while protecting ocean health.”

More about Deepwater Wind and the Rhode Island Ocean Planning Process:

• Rhode Island’s Ocean Plan is called the SAMP (Special Area Management Plan). It is a planning process designed to provide a balanced approach to the sustainable development and protection of Rhode Island’s ocean resources.
• Deepwater Wind’s CEO Jeff Grybowski estimates that Rhode Island’s ocean plan saved years of permitting time for the Block Island project.
• As a result of the stakeholder engagement process enabled by Rhode Island’s ocean plan, Deepwater Wind’s CEO Jeff Grybowski was able to work with a local RI lobster fisherman, Bill McElroy. Bill and Jeff worked closely together to develop a project to collect data on the lobster fishery before, during and after construction of the wind farm, to better inform future offshore wind projects and how they could impact lobster fisheries.

Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit www.oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.