Japanese corporation to supply electricity transmission cable for Deepwater Wind project (USA)
A Japanese corporation in talks to supply electricity transmission cable to Deepwater Wind says in a letter to state regulators that it is considering building a manufacturing facility in Rhode Island, and that approval of a power-purchase agreement involving the offshore wind developer will be a “major consideration” in its decision.
Mitsubishi International Corp., which has offices in New York City, submitted the letter to the state Public Utilities Commission on Monday in support of a proposed pact between Deepwater, the company behind the plan for an eight-turbine offshore wind farm near Block Island, and National Grid, Rhode Island’s main electricity utility.
Deepwater needs to have the 20-year contract to guarantee a buyer of its power approved before proceeding with the project. The PUC rejected a previous agreement in March because the panel judged the price to be too high.
In the letter, Ryuji Watanabe, a vice president and general manager at Mitsubishi, says that his company is considering supplying cable to the Block Island wind farm, as well as other Deepwater projects. Deepwater is proposing a second, 100-turbine wind farm in waters off Rhode Island and is also exploring projects in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere.
“In connection with those discussions, we, together with our strategic Japanese partner in power cable manufacturing, are exploring the possibility of locating a new manufacturing facility in the United States, including locations in Rhode Island,” Watanabe wrote. “The construction and operation of such a manufacturing facility will have significant employment impacts.”
He adds, “Approval of the Block Island power-purchase agreement will be a major consideration in our determination of whether and where to locate such a facility.”
By Alex Kuffner (projo)
Source: projo, July 22, 2010; Image: flickr, May 13, 2010
