A 15-mile undersea
transmission line is to be
built, connecting a 30MW
wind farm at Block Island
on the US east coast.
The line will allow
developer Deepwater
Wind to connect the
five turbine wind farm
to the mainland grid at
Narragansett, making use
of the town’s pier to avoid
disturbing the delicate sea
bed breeding grounds
of local lobsters.
Deepwater’s chief
administration officer,
Jeffrey Grybkowski, said
the project was complex,
with a risk of endangering
sensitive habitats. “It’s
very, very difficult to make
that landing because
of the geology and
the ecology,” he said.
In September, the
company carried out
surveys off the coast
of Block Island, including
mapping out the sea floor
for cabling and turbine
siting. Once complete,
Deepwater will survey
the route for onshore
cables.
Looking
out for
lobsters
wiredInUSA - January 2012
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