Deepwater Wind, a US-based offshore wind power projects developer, has won the first auction for offshore wind-energy development in the country.
The company has agreed to pay around $3.8m to lease two sites located in the federal waters off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Deepwater Wind has outlined plans to develop the Deepwater Wind Energy Center (DWEC), a utility-scale wind farm that is expected to employ 200 turbines with a regional transmission system connecting Long Island, New York, to southeastern New England.
Commenting on the development, Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski said that the proposed Deepwater Wind Energy Center Project will produce clean power and jobs for an entire region.
"We commend Governors Chafee and Patrick and the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Congressional delegations for their shared commitment to advancing offshore wind development and the nation’s energy independence," added Grybowski.
Construction of the DWEC is expected to commence in early 2017, while the commercial operations are expected to begin by 2018.
With a total installed capacity of around 1,000MW, the DWEC will generate clean energy that is enough to power around 350,000 homes, by reducing 1.7 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.