The US Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council has approved construction of Ørsted and Eversource’s $1.5-billion Revolution Wind off Rhode Island.
The 704MW project will provide 400MW of wind power for Rhode Island and 304MW for neighbouring Connecticut.
The council’s approval follows the final federal permitting review for the project and was made using the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (Fast-41). Fast-41 seeks to streamline the permitting process of existing federal environmental reviews and authorisations for infrastructure projects.
"The approval of the Revolution Wind project speaks volumes about the efficiency and accountability of the Fast-41 process and what is possible when you bring federal agencies together to coordinate on complex environmental reviews and authorisations, holding each other accountable and making timely decisions," said Eric Beightel, the council’s executive director.
In July, utility Rhode Island Energy (RIE) said costs for Ørsted and Eversource’s sister project, 884MW Revolution Wind 2, were “too expensive" and the project was rejected. It had been submitted in RIE's offshore wind tender in October 2022.
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