An Historic Achievement – National Grid Customers Are the First in the U.S. to Receive Offshore Wind Power
December 12 2016 - 2:03PM
Business Wire
After just 11 months of construction on its “sea2shore: The
Renewable Link” project, National Grid today announced that it is
now officially delivering electricity generated by the offshore
Block Island Wind Farm to the electricity grid in Rhode Island and
to customers – a first-in-the-nation milestone.
Beginning in January 2016, National Grid oversaw construction of
the majority of the infrastructure needed to connect the wind farm
to the electric system on mainland Rhode Island. The company will
continue to own and maintain the infrastructure, which includes
approximately 20 miles of submarine cable, five miles of
underground cable, and two new substations (one on Block Island and
one in Narragansett).
“We’re really a leader in renewables and National Grid has been
a great partner for us at every step of the way,” said R.I.
Governor Gina Raimondo. “We’re moving ourselves to a more
resilient, sustainable, cleaner, more affordable energy source, and
that’s a win for everybody.”
“National Grid has significant experience with submarine cable
projects and has completed several others in the past, but
connecting to the country’s first offshore wind farm has made it a
unique experience for everyone involved,” said Timothy F. Horan,
president and COO of National Grid in Rhode Island. “We are
incredibly grateful to the project team, the state of Rhode Island,
and all of our partners who helped make this possible, and to the
residents, business owners, and community leaders of Block Island,
Narragansett and South Kingstown who showed great patience and
collaboration as we worked to make this historic effort a
reality.”
“This is an historic achievement for our country, our customers
and our company,” said Rudy Wynter, president and COO of National
Grid’s FERC-Regulated Businesses. “We know that transmission is the
key to unlocking and delivering the large amounts of renewable
power our region needs to meet its clean energy goals, and we look
forward to other developing projects that will support that
endeavor.”
The Block Island Wind Farm is expected to supply approximately
30 megawatts of electricity, more than enough to meet Block
Island’s entire current demand of 3 to 4 MW. The excess will be
re-directed to mainland Rhode Island via the submarine cable
running between Block Island and the town of Narragansett.
National Grid is a world leader in the installation of submarine
cables and transmission interconnectors that deliver large amounts
of renewable energy to densely populated areas. Its two cables that
serve the island of Nantucket enabled that community to virtually
eliminate reliance on dirty, unreliable diesel generators for
power. National Grid also built, operates and jointly owns an
interconnector that delivers up to 2,000 MW of Canadian hydropower
to New England. National Grid’s UK business jointly developed, owns
and operates interconnectors to France and the Netherlands and is
developing proposals for additional projects that would
interconnect with other European countries.
For additional information about the project, please visit
www.ngrid.com/sea2shore or click the following link for a brief
video about the project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF-f-cxGxVg. National Grid has made
a press kit available to members of the media, which includes video
footage and photos that can be used for print and broadcast
coverage. The media kit can be accessed through Google Chrome using
the following link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9ZHEBX7rfiAcXNUNjJXWmJEMHM?usp=sharing.
WHAT INDUSTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS ARE
SAYING ABOUT sea2shore:
American Wind Energy
Association
“The importance of seeing the Block Island Wind Farm come online
to produce power cannot be overstated for the residents of Rhode
Island or the nation. This is more than a ribbon cutting; it is the
dawn of an entirely new source of homegrown U.S. energy. Paired
with transmission infrastructure, American offshore wind can
deliver vast amounts of clean energy directly to the nation’s
largest population centers. In doing so, we can create jobs for
generations, bring opportunities for American workers that are
currently only available overseas, rehabilitate aging port and
highway infrastructure, and help make America energy independent” -
Nancy Sopko, Manager, Advocacy and Federal Legislative Affairs,
AWEA
CERES
"We commend National Grid for recognizing the critical role that
offshore wind can play in tackling the climate challenge and
investing capital in the new infrastructure needed to make the
clean energy economy a reality” - Dan Bakal, CERES Director of
Electric Power
New England Clean Energy
Council
"NECEC applauds National Grid for its contribution to delivering
the clean energy generated by the nation’s first offshore wind
project – the Block Island Wind Farm – to customers,” "Offshore
wind will play a critical role in advancing the clean energy
economy of the Northeast, and National Grid is providing the
connection vital to that advancement” - NECEC President Peter
Rothstein
WIRES
“The hallmark of the modern electric system is deployment of
diverse sources of electricity and advanced technology. The age of
offshore wind is just starting. A more robust and integrated
transmission network will enable clean wind power from projects
like Sea2Shore to be provided more reliably and cost effectively to
consumers” - Jim Hoecker, former Chairman of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission and Counsel to WIRES, an international
business group that promotes energy infrastructure investment
About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity and natural
gas delivery company that connects nearly 7 million customers to
vital energy sources through its networks in New York,
Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of
natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the
systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.
Through its U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is
transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support
the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more
resilient energy solutions. Connect21 is vital to our communities'
long-term economic and environmental health and aligns with
regulatory initiatives in New York (REV: Reforming the Energy
Vision) and Massachusetts (Grid Modernization).
For more information please visit our website:
www.nationalgridus.com, or our Connecting website. You can also
follow us on Twitter, watch us on You Tube, Like us on Facebook and
find our photos on Instagram.
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