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On Monday, May 6, the Narragansett Town Council voted 5-0 to suspend negotiations with Deepwater Wind, which is developing the Block Island offshore wind farm, in order to gather more information on the project’s local impact.
The motion to bring all talks and negotiations with the developer to a standstill and address taxpayer concerns was proposed by council member Matthew Mannix in March, GoLocalProv News writes.
Deepwater Wind’s plan to bring a transmission line from a proposed offshore wind farm to the mainland in Narragansett is a concern that the Council addressed, questioning its viability for the town.
The company’s CEO, Jeffrey Grybowski, said that they have listened closely to the feedback from Narragansett residents and town officials and concluded that underground transmission lines are more preferable for the town, instead of installing them overhead.
“We’ll propose that option to the Narragansett Town Council next month, and we’ll look forward to continuing the dialogue on this important project,” Mr. Grybowski is quoted by the GoLocalProv News as saying.
Council president James Callaghan has welcomed the news regarding the transmission system, but he added that this is not the only issue that needs to be addressed when it comes to the Block Island offshore wind project.
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Offshore WIND Staff, May 8, 2013; Image: dwwind