Rhode Island releases draft RfP for offshore wind ahead of final call in Oct

Rhode Island governor Dan McKee on Wednesday announced a draft request for proposals (RfP) for offshore wind energy and the start of a 30-day public comment period ahead of the issuance of the final document by mid-October.

In July, the governor signed into law clean energy legislation that requires a market-competitive procurement for between 600 MW and 1,000 MW of new offshore wind capacity. The statutory deadline for issuing the RfP is October 15.

The process is managed by Rhode Island Energy, the state’s primary utility company. According to the draft, it is seeking bids to enter into long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) of at least 15 years and up to 20 years that could range in size from 100 MW to 1,000 MW.

McKee said offshore wind will be key to meeting the state’s new 100% renewable energy by 2033 goal and its Act on Climate emissions reductions target.

The 600 MW to 1,000 MW of offshore wind the state wants to add could meet at least 30% of Rhode Island’s estimated electricity needs in 2030, according to the announcement.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!