The construction of America’s first offshore wind farm – the 30MW Block Island – has entered the final stage with the majority of the turbine components already delivered to the Port of Providence and ready to be installed, Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island, heard during her visit to the port on Monday, 25 July.
Governor Raimondo met with Jeff Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind, the company which owns and will operate the wind farm, as well as representatives from GE whose five Haliade 150-6MW turbines are expected to be installed some three miles off Block Island.
The five nacelles for the Block Island turbines are currently midway across the Atlantic onboard Fred. Olsen Windcarrier’s Brave Tern and are expected to reach the site next week.
The remaining turbine components, including the blades and the turbine towers , have already been delivered to GE’s assembly facility in the port.
The blades, and the tower sections already assembled there, are scheduled to travel by boat to the Block Island Wind Farm site in early August, when the installation of the turbines is expected to start.
The subsea cables that will connect the wind farm to Block Island and further to the mainland have been installed and the installation of inter-array cables is expected to finish shortly.
Offshore WIND Staff; Images: Deepwater Wind/Fred. Olsen Windcarrier