Block Island Wind Farm Explained

Block Island Wind Farm
Location:New Shoreham, Rhode Island
Construction Began:2015
Commissioned:12 December 2016[1]
Cost:$290 million
Wind Hub Height:100 m[2]
Wind Rated Speed:325 m/s[3]
Ps Annual Generation:125
Ps Electrical Cap Fac:47.6% (projected)

Block Island Wind Farm was the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States,[4] located from Block Island, Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The five-turbine, 30 MW project was developed by Deepwater Wind, now known as Ørsted US Offshore Wind.

Construction began in 2015, and in late summer 2016, five Alstom Haliade 150-6MW turbines were erected. Operations were launched in December 2016.[5] It is the largest project using wind power in Rhode Island.

Design and capacity

Block Island Wind Farm was originally a project of Deepwater Wind[6] to be located about southeast of Block Island,[7] which was expected to produce more than 125,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually. Power is transmitted from the turbines to the electric grid along a transmission submarine power cable buried under the ocean floor, making landfall north of Scarborough Beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The structures were designed by Alstom Wind, stand high, and can withstand a Category 3 storm.[8] [9] [10] The system connects New Shoreham, Rhode Island to the electrical power grid for the first time, allowing it to transition from using diesel generators.[11] Gulf Island Fabrication was interested in building the foundations.[12]

Permits and funding

The Block Island Wind Farm was conceived as a larger project extending into neighboring Massachusetts[13] to build a $1.5-billion, 385-megawatt wind farm in federal waters. The 100-turbine project could provide 1.3 terawatt-hours (TW·h) of electricity per year – 15 percent of all electricity used in the state.[14] In 2009, the State of Rhode Island designated Deepwater Wind to begin with pilot projects.[15] [16] In the same year, Deepwater signed an agreement with National Grid to sell the power from the wind farm off Block Island, at an initial price of 24.4¢/kWh,[17] with a guaranteed[18] 3.5% annual increase.[19]

The permitting process for the project has been highly controversial, with the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (RIPUC) initially rejecting the agreement price with National Grid as being excessive to Rhode Island's electricity ratepayers.[20] However, after the Rhode Island General Assembly and Governor Carcieri changed the state law concerning the "commercial reasonability" of contract pricing, the RIPUC voted to approve the key contract.[21] After continuing controversy and appeals, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled in July 2011 to uphold the RIPUC decision. Opponents of the project raised an issue about the contract pricing with the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in August 2012, but in October of the same year, FERC issued a decision that they would not act on the complaint.[22] A total of nine reviews and permits from state federal agencies were acquired, the last in early May 2015.[23] On May 11, 2015, a new complaint was filed with FERC, alleging that the power purchase agreement with National Grid violates the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 and that the RIPUC violated the Federal Power Act and the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. However, Deepwater Wind maintained that there was no support for any of these claims and that FERC should promptly deny the new complaint in its entirety.

While the wind turbines have been built in state waters southeast of Block Island, the transmission cable crosses federal waters in the Atlantic. A portion of the power is supplied directly to Block Island, off-shore from the Rhode Island mainland and has some of the highest power rates in the country due to its local generation by small diesel-powered generators.[24] [25] [26]

Deepwater Wind announced in March 2015 that it had received funding in the amount of $290 million from mandated lead arrangers Société Générale of Paris, France and KeyBank National Association of Cleveland, Ohio.[27] The farm design was verified in 2017.[28]

Construction

In late 2014, Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc.[29] began steelwork construction at its Houma, Louisiana shipyard. The building phase focused on the turbines' foundations (for platforms) to be pile-anchored to the ocean floor. On June 26, 2015, the first of the five foundations for the project began its move from Louisiana via barge.[30] The turbines were expected to be delivered later in 2015 and erected in place in 2016.[31] Foundation assembly started in ProvPort in March 2016, with commissioning estimated to be done late 2016.[32] GZA GeoEnvironmental provided the geotechnical design and consulting for the staging facility at the Port of Providence.[33]

The foundations were designed by Louisiana-based Keystone Engineering Inc. to withstand a 1,000-year storm.[34] The foundations’ robust strength is the product of meticulous design processes and thorough engineering analysis performed by Keystone.[34] While the four-pile jacket foundation is common for offshore oil and gas platforms, Block Island's jackets are engineered to handle additional loading and vibration from the spinning turbines.[35] Keystone's engineering team ran thousands of test simulations, repeating each calculation multiple times to ensure the design would hold up under various weather conditions and load scenarios. Altogether, nearly 10 million tests were completed.[35]

Louisiana offshore oil and gas service providers played an important role in constructing the Block Island Wind Farm.[36] US-flagged operator Falcon Global used its lift barge “The Robert” to assist foreign operators and other coastwise-qualified vessels.[37] The boat travelled about 2,000 miles from Louisiana to Block Island over the course of 14 days and 14 nights.

On March 9, 2015, French company Alstom received final notification to begin fabrication of five Alstom Haliade 150 6 MW offshore wind turbines. GE Wind Energy acquired Alstom Wind and Haliade production in November 2015. As of July 2016, the site was grid-connected,[38] [39] and towers and LM Wind Power blades[40] were in the port of Providence. The Norwegian installation jack-up vessel[41] was on its way to France to pick up the 400 tonne generators,[42] as it was not able to pick them up from an easier US port due to the Jones Act.[43] A test version of the direct-drive[44] turbine is installed at Østerild Wind Turbine Test Field.[45]

The first turbine was erected in August 2016.[46] [47] [48] On August 18, 2016, Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski announced Block Island Wind Farm was fully constructed.[49] [50] The wind farm commenced commercial operation in December 2016.[51]

Operation

During a major winter storm in March 2017, the turbines functioned as designed, automatically cutting out when the wind speed reached .[3] After the wind speed had topped out at about, they resumed production again once the speed went below the cut-off threshold.[52]

The project also provided jobs for the state of Rhode Island, employing welders, workers during assembly of the wind turbines, and divers.[53]

Since its construction, the project site has undergone regularly scheduled maintenance. According to the company, much of these repairs happen in the Summer.[54] U.S.-flagged liftboats are used on the project site to both provide accommodations for workers and serve as a platform for performing routine maintenance.[55]

The Block Island Wind Farm has experienced multiple issues, causing it to fail to perform on some occasions. Problems include turbine stress fatigue on four of the five turbines and erosion exposing the underwater cables that took the power to the mainland. The combination of the issues resulted in extensive shutdowns in the summer of 2021 for repairs and safety inspections. Four of the five wind turbines at the farm were offline for at least two months.[56] [57]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Block Island Wind Farm begins commercial operations . Deepwater Wind . 2016-12-12 . 2016-12-17 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175849/https://dwwind.com/press/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-powers/ . live .
  2. Web site: HALIADE* 150-6MW OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE . gerenewableenergy.com . 2017-03-02 . 2017-01-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170128183851/https://www.gerenewableenergy.com/wind-energy/turbines/offshore-turbine-haliade.html . live .
  3. Web site: Alstom Haliade 150 - 6.000,0 kW - Turbine . en.wind-turbine-models.com . 2017-03-20 . 2017-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170321081812/http://en.wind-turbine-models.com/turbines/139-alstom-haliade-150 . live .
  4. Web site: Offshore Wind Farm Raises Hopes of U.S. Clean Energy Backers . 24 July 2015 . The New York Times . 1 March 2017 . 27 January 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170127230054/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/24/business/offshore-wind-farm-raises-hopes-of-us-clean-energy-backers.html . live .
  5. Web site: Alstom announces a major milestone for Deepwater's Block Island Offshore Wind Project . alstom.com . 2015-05-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518081827/http://www.alstom.com/press-centre/2015/3/alstom-announces-a-major-milestone-for-deepwaters-block-island-offshore-wind-project/ . 2015-05-18 . dead.
  6. Web site: Rhode Island Chooses Deepwater Wind to Build Off-Shore Wind Farm . renewableenergyworld.com . 2015-05-02 . 2012-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120928092411/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/09/rhode-island-chooses-deepwater-wind-to-build-off-shore-wind-farm-53708 . live .
  7. Web site: First Offshore Wind Farm In The U.S. Kicks Off Construction . ThinkProgress . 30 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160708130548/http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/28/3651715/deepwater-wind-project-construction-starts/ . 8 July 2016 . dead.
  8. Web site: Clean energy is just over the horizon . Deepwater Wind . 30 April 2015 . 28 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150428035314/http://dwwind.com/ . live .
  9. Web site: Block Island Wind Farm . Deepwater Wind . 30 April 2015 . 29 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150429111618/http://dwwind.com/project/block-island-wind-farm/ . live .
  10. Web site: Deepwater Wind completes financing for Block Island wind farm . Alex Kuffner . providencejournal.com . 30 April 2015.
  11. Web site: The Day - Wind farm controversy buffets tiny Block Island - News from southeastern Connecticut . The Day . 2015-05-13 . 2015-10-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151010030012/http://www.theday.com/article/20120527/NWS01/305279956 . live .
  12. Web site: Louisiana builder is hard at work on R.I.'s offshore wind turbines + Video . Alex . Kuffner . 2016-06-17 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175848/https://www.providencejournal.com/story/bedford-minuteman/2015/06/13/bedford-police-log-may-29/34288454007/ . live .
  13. Web site: 4 potential wind farm sites south of Martha's Vineyard due to be auctioned . masslive.com . 25 November 2014 . 3 May 2015 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175852/https://www.masslive.com/business-news/2014/11/4_potential_wind_farm_sites_south_of_mar.html . live .
  14. News: Deepwater wind project making headway . Lord . Peter B. . April 24, 2009 . . April 29, 2009 . April 26, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090426071558/http://www.projo.com/news/content/Wind_Power_Ecology_04-24-09_VLE4UFH_v7.37906e0.html . live .
  15. News: Rhode Island Chooses Deepwater Wind to Build Off-Shore Wind Farm . September 30, 2008 . RenewableEnergyWorld.com . April 29, 2009 . September 28, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120928092411/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/09/rhode-island-chooses-deepwater-wind-to-build-off-shore-wind-farm-53708 . live .
  16. News: U.S. offshore wind rules expected today . Nesi . Ted . April 22, 2009 . . April 29, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090426111039/http://www.pbn.com/detail/41759.html . 2009-04-26 . dead.
  17. News: Offshore wind power: Can Maine afford it? . Turkel . Tux . January 3, 2010 . Portland Press Herald.
  18. News: Brady Dennis . The nation's first offshore wind farm is ready to go, despite critics' blowback . 23 May 2018 . Washington Post . 27 August 2016 . Deepwater Wind will receive about 24 cents per kilowatt hour for the power generated by the turbines, with guaranteed increases over time. The average American pays about 12.3 cents . 7 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190107201002/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-nations-first-offshore-wind-farm-is-ready-to-go-despite-critics-blow-back/2016/08/27/7a43c6d6-693f-11e6-99bf-f0cf3a6449a6_story.html?noredirect=on . live .
  19. News: Mark Harrington . Wind farm's long-term cost will be high for power projects . 23 May 2018 . Newsday . 19 February 2017 . Deepwater’s Block Island wind farm cost of 23.57 cents with a 3.5 percent annual increase . 24 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180524081902/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/wind-farm-s-long-term-cost-will-be-high-for-power-projects-1.13142127 . live .
  20. Web site: PUC Rejects Deepwater Contract on Price . Providence Business News . 30 March 2010 . Chris Barrett and Ted Nesi . 28 May 2015 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175856/https://pbn.com/PUC-rejects-Deepwater-contract-on-price,48839/ . live .
  21. Web site: PUC Approves Deepwater Wind-National Grid Power Deal, But Appeals Expected . Providence Business News . 11 August 2010 . Chris Barrett . 28 May 2015 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175901/https://pbn.com/PUC-approves-Deepwater-Wind-National-Grid-power-deal-but-appeals-expected,51687/ . live .
  22. Web site: Deepwater Wind defends power sale deal at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission . 11 May 2015 . TransmissionHub . Barry Cassell . 28 May 2015 . 29 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150529002819/http://www.transmissionhub.com/articles/2015/05/deepwater-wind-defends-power-sale-deal-at-the-federal-energy-regulatory-commission.html . live .
  23. Web site: Block Island offshore wind farm receives another key approval . Alex Kuffner . providencejournal.com . 2015-05-03 . 2015-05-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518171820/http://www.providencejournal.com/business/content/20140905-block-island-offshore-wind-farm-receives-another-key-approval.ece . live .
  24. Web site: State of Rhode Island: Office of Energy Resources . ri.gov .
  25. Web site: First ROW grant for wind farm in federal waters . Federal Times.
  26. News: Lieberman . Ellen . Wind Resistance . Rhode Island Monthly . March 2014 . 1 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518083120/http://www.rimonthly.com/Rhode-Island-Monthly/March-2014/Reporter-Wind-Resistance/ . 2015-05-18 . dead.
  27. Web site: First American Offshore Wind Farm Fully Funded . The Maritime Executive . 2015-05-02 . 2015-05-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150511062501/http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/first-american-offshore-wind-farm-fully-funded . live .
  28. Web site: Block Island Wind Farm Gets ABS Group's Verification Certificate . 2017-12-06 . Offshore Wind . en-US . 2017-12-06 . Design verification is a critical part of project development and plays an important role in maintaining incident-free operations . 2017-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171207020510/https://www.offshorewind.biz/2017/12/06/block-island-wind-farm-gets-abs-groups-verification-certificate/ . live .
  29. Web site: Gulf Island Fabrication wins foundation work for first U.S. offshore wind farm . NOLA.com . 13 November 2014 . 2015-06-30 . 2015-05-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150528024756/http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/11/gulf_island_fabrication_wins_f.html . live .
  30. Web site: First foundations now bound for Rhode Island . olivesoftware.com.
  31. Web site: First Deepwater Wind foundations on barge bound for R.I. + video . Alex Kuffner . providencejournal.com . 2015-06-30 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175855/https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/environment/2015/06/30/first-foundations-bound-for-r/34036624007/ . live .
  32. Web site: Block Island Wind Farm Kicks Off 2016 Construction . Mark Del Franco . 22 March 2016 . 28 March 2016 . 26 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160326214355/http://nawindpower.com/block-island-wind-farm-kicks-off-2016-construction . live .
  33. Web site: GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Conducts geotechnical offshore investigation for Block Island Wind Farm; Five Wind Turbine Farm - First of its Kind in the Nation | GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc . 2018-08-17 . 2018-08-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180817225647/http://www.gza.com/content/gza-geoenvironmental-inc-conducts-geotechnical-offshore-investigation-block-island-wind-farm . dead.
  34. Web site: Painstaking design yields turbine foundations built to endure 1,000-year storm . Providence Journal . 13 June 2015 . 9 April 2017 . 10 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170410213933/http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150613/NEWS/150619921 . live .
  35. Web site: Two Louisiana firms playing important roles in creation, construction of offshore wind farm . The New Orleans Advocate . 19 September 2015 . 9 April 2017 . 10 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170410214307/http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/business/article_6d595f94-e0a7-5ec7-b983-f103d142a64d.html . live .
  36. Web site: Reporter . Michael Joe . 2019-06-12 . Louisiana offshore marine association forms wind committee New Orleans CityBusiness . 2024-02-14 . en-US.
  37. Web site: Harnessing Offshore Wind // SEACOR . 2024-02-14 . Garde Voir Ci . en-US.
  38. Web site: National Grid connects Block Island to land . 2016-07-11 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175902/https://www.4coffshore.com/news/national-grid-connects-block-island-to-land-nid4099.html . live .
  39. Web site: All Block Island Cables In Place . Offshore Wind . 29 July 2016 . 1 August 2016 . 23 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160823040119/http://www.offshorewind.biz/2016/07/29/all-block-island-cables-in-place/ . live .
  40. Web site: Block Island's blades arrive in the US . 2016-08-01 . 2016-08-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160807043225/http://www.4coffshore.com/windfarms/block-island%27s-blades-arrive-in-the-us-nid4067.html . live .
  41. Web site: Bold Tern - 4C Offshore . 2016-07-11 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175903/https://www.4coffshore.com/vessels/vessel-bold-tern-vid87.html . live .
  42. Web site: Installerer USAs første havvindpark: Det norske fartøyet vil ruve 40 meter høyere enn Frihetsgudinnen . 11 July 2016 . Nilsen . Jannicke . no . 11 July 2016 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175903/https://www.tu.no/artikler/installerer-usas-forste-havvindpark-det-norske-fartoyet-vil-ruve-40-meter-hoyere-enn-frihetsgudinnen/349319 . live .
  43. Web site: This Controversial Law Could Stifle the US Offshore Wind Market . Emma Foehringer . Merchant . 13 October 2017 . 19 October 2017 . 19 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171019221016/https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/this-controversial-law-could-stifle-us-offshore-wind . live .
  44. Web site: Haliade 150-6MW - 4C Offshore . 2016-07-11 . 2016-08-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160807022626/http://www.4coffshore.com/windfarms/turbine-ge-energy-haliade-150-6mw-tid71.html . live .
  45. Web site: GWS starts Block Island gig . 2016-07-11 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175905/https://www.4coffshore.com/news/gws-starts-block-island-gig-nid4129.html . live .
  46. Web site: First Offshore US Wind Turbines Installed Off Rhode Island . 9 August 2016 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175911/https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/First-US-Wind-Turbines-Installed-Off-Rhode-Island . live .
  47. Web site: Shuman . Cassius . August 5, 2016 . Wind farm turbine installation begins . Block Island Times . 9 August 2016 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017175904/https://www.blockislandtimes.com/article/wind-farm-turbine-installation-begins/47147 . live .
  48. Web site: Sunset, Block Island Wind Farm Style . 2016-08-09 . 2016-08-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160826024334/https://vimeo.com/177772061 . live .
  49. Web site: Jeff Grybowski (@JGrybowski) - Twitter . 2016-08-19 . 2022-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017181754/https://twitter.com/jgrybowski?lang=en . live .
  50. News: Is Offshore Wind Finally Ready To Serve U.S. Power Needs? . Rod . Adams . 17 August 2016 . . 19 August 2016 . 18 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160818214317/http://www.forbes.com/sites/rodadams/2016/08/17/is-offshore-wind-finally-ready-to-serve-us-power-needs/ . live .
  51. Web site: America's first offshore wind farm is up and running . Anmar . Frangoul . . 13 December 2016 . 8 September 2017 . 26 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210526190938/https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/13/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-is-up-and-running.html . live .
  52. Web site: Strong performance during this season's worst winter conditions . dwwind.com . 2017-03-16 . 2017-03-20 . 2017-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170320233710/http://dwwind.com/press/project-update/ . live .
  53. News: One Turbine Offline But Block Island Wind Farm a Go . ecoRI News . 2017-05-22 . en-US . 2016-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161203163342/http://www.ecori.org/renewable-energy/2016/12/1/one-turbine-offline-but-block-island-wind-farm-a-go . live .
  54. Web site: 2023-05-19 . What’s that boat? . 2024-02-15 . Block Island Times . en.
  55. Web site: 2023-05-19 . What’s that boat? . 2024-02-15 . Block Island Times . en.
  56. Web site: Offshore Wind Experiences Problems with Transmission Cables. 18 May 2021. 20 July 2023.
  57. Web site: Block Island Offshore Wind Farm Offline Two Months Due to Maintenance and Safety Concerns. Providence Journal. August 14, 2021. July 20, 2023.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Block Island Wind Farm".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.