Roughly 10 big commercial wind projects — some languishing in the pipeline for years — are beginning to catch a tangible updraft. Once turning, colossal turbines rising off southern New England’s coast will bring enough power ashore to light millions of homes. In Connecticut, a major overhaul of State Pier in New London is expected to begin this spring. Danish wind developer Orsted, and its partner, New England’s Eversource Energy, will use the revamped pier as a staging area for three big projects in federal waters just east of Block Island, R.I. And in Washington, the Biden administration says it wants to start a slate of environmental reviews, make cash available to ports and developers, and offer new areas for lease off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The goal is to open the spigot on projects that promise to spur the economy while slashing harmful carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, Vineyard Wind will erect 62 state-of-the-art General Electric Haliade-X turbines to supply Connecticut with 804 MW of electricity — about 14% of the state’s electric supply — when it plugs into the New England electric grid in 2025. Vineyard Wind, which will use port facilities in Bridgeport, is a project of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables. Still, Connecticut has signed two deals to buy electricity generated offshore. And a lot of people see a huge potential for well-paying new jobs.
https://www.theday.com/business/20210429/winds-of-change