"Although it was good for Deepwater to come through Narragansett town beach, it wasn’t good for Narragansett," said town council president James Callaghan.
Deepwater intends to use the 30MW Block Island project to provide a test case for an offshore wind farm of up to 200 turbines in Rhode Island federal waters following its victory last week in an auction for leasing rights there.
Power at the Block Island site will be provided by five of Siemens’ new 6MW offshore turbines.
"We’re continuing to explore alternative routes for the cable that will connect Block Island to the mainland, and we remain confident we’ll find a suitable location," said Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski.
Earlier in the project’s development Deepwater investigated a shorter route for the cable, making landfall at Charlestown.
But the rocky shoals off that town’s coast would make drilling difficult and the shoals are sensitive breeding grounds for lobsters and other marine animals.
.png)
.png)
