New England wind farm, delayed by Trump, begins providing power to the grid

Bloomberg News

Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm off the coast of Connecticut, delivered power to the New England electric grid for the first time on Friday. 

The project endured multiple attempts from the Trump administration to halt its construction. It will provide power for customers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

"This project is key to diversifying our energy supply and lowering utility costs for families and businesses," Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said. "As Revolution Wind ramps up in the coming months, we look forward to it delivering affordable, reliable, clean electricity that will power 350,000 homes."

Construction on Revolution Wind is now 93% complete, according to a press release from Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, and is on track to be finished later this year. The farm will eventually provide 704 MW of power to the grid, equivalent to roughly 2.5% of the region's electricity supply.

The states have fixed, 20-year agreements with Revolution Wind, a joint project between Swedish developer Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables.

The project was first delayed in August, when the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order, citing "national security concerns." The courts sided with Revolution Wind and construction was allowed to continue. 

In December, the administration paused the leases for Revolution Wind and five other offshore wind projects, once again claiming they posed risks to national security. A judge allowed the project to resume work in January. 

Attacking major infrastructure projects already under construction was unprecedented, Lamont told The Bond Buyer last year, and could dissuade states and contractors from entering into similar projects in the future. 

"I talked to the natural gas guys," Lamont said in September, "and said, 'Look, if a contract is not a contract, why would I want to start in place a big investment for natural gas in New England, knowing that the next administration could tear it up?"

Once Revolution Wind reaches full commercial operations, projections say it will save New England ratepayers as much as $500 million per year in wholesale energy costs. 

Adding the power to the grid was "good news" for the region's ratepayers, said Katie Dykes, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

"As we've seen from the harsh winter we've had, and the impacts to fossil fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, having diverse sources of stable, reliable power that both perform strongly in the winter and are insulated from geopolitical events is beneficial to Connecticut ratepayers," Dykes said.