Ørsted, Eversource Join Forces with UConn Avery Point for Offshore Wind and Marine Life Research

Environment

November 14, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Ørsted and Eversource, developers of Connecticut’s first offshore wind farm, Revolution Wind, and UConn Avery Point launched a collaborative, multi-year fisheries research programme to study further the relationship between offshore wind farms and marine life.

Ørsted and Eversource have awarded a USD 1.25 million (approximately EUR 1.15 million) grant to UConn Avery Point to fund the programme, which kicked off this semester and will wrap up in 2025.

The partnership builds on Ørsted and Eversource’s multi-year research partnership with Mystic Aquarium, announced in November 2022, which is one of the nation’s first comprehensive studies of the potential effects of offshore wind turbines on marine mammals and sea turtles, according to Ørsted.

“As our marine populations continue to be devastated by the catastrophic consequences of climate change, we must double down on work with local communities and research institutions to refine the best practices to accelerate the transition to a new clean energy future sustainably,” said Michael Ausere, Vice President of Business Development, Eversource.

Revolution Wind is a 704 MW project that is expected to provide enough clean, renewable energy for more than 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island beginning in 2025.

Recently, Ørsted and Eversource took the final investment decision (FID) on the offshore wind farm.

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The project will comprise 65 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW wind turbines installed on monopile foundations. Turbines for the wind farm will be assembled and shipped from State Pier in the Port of New London.

Once up and running, Revolution Wind will deliver 400 MW of offshore wind power to Rhode Island and 304 MW to Connecticut.