Ørsted faces offshore wind delays after prior project cancellations

The U.S. offshore wind industry is facing another setback as Danish energy company Ørsted announced delays with its Revolution Wind project. This development comes less than a year after Ørsted canceled two planned wind farms off the coast of New Jersey.

Revolution Wind is an offshore wind project intended to supply renewable energy to the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Originally slated to begin operations sooner, the project’s start date has now been pushed back by a year, with energy production expected to commence in 2026.

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The delay is primarily due to soil contamination issues at a former naval base where Eversource Energy is constructing a substation for the Ørsted wind farm. The site requires additional time to address lingering problem, which has hindered the project’s progress.

“While we were aware of the soil contamination at this site given its past use as a Naval disposal facility, the comprehensive analysis from Eversource as part of the early construction work showed that the level of contamination, and its impacts to the project schedule, are more substantial than anticipated,” Meaghan Wims, a spokeswoman for Revolution Wind, said in a statement. “As a result, an update to the site design was required, which has resulted in a delay to the onshore construction activities.” 

Once completed, the Revolution Wind facility is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 350,000 homes, marking a significant contribution to the region’s renewable energy goals. However, residents of Connecticut and Rhode Island will have to wait longer than anticipated to benefit from this clean energy source.