RHODE ISLAND COAST (TV Delmarva) — Towering wind turbines reaching three times the height of the Statue of Liberty were actively generating clean energy off Rhode Island’s shoreline Thursday, delivering power to the regional electrical grid.
Multiple wind energy developments continue advancing along the Atlantic seaboard despite President Donald Trump’s campaign to eliminate America’s offshore wind sector. Trump frequently expresses his disdain for wind energy and describes the turbines as unsightly.
Associated Press reporters journeyed approximately 100 miles offshore and observed three out of five regional wind installations. Two facilities are operating at full capacity, two are nearing completion, and one remains roughly half-finished.
Initial turbines from the Revolution Wind development were easily spotted from about 5 nautical miles away, with visibility extending further on clear days. The massive structures formed orderly rows across the horizon, with several rotating in gentle breezes.
The turbines’ immense scale became apparent from even a mile’s distance.
Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind represent offshore energy developments designed to supply electricity to approximately 1 million residences throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.
The journey to Revolution Wind’s location required roughly 90 minutes, traveling more than 15 miles south of Rhode Island’s shoreline.
Several turbine blades began rotating as morning winds strengthened. Personnel were working within the wind farm’s central hub, a substantial gray substation facility.
Revolution Wind has reached over 90% completion. The project recently started supplying electricity to New England’s power network and remains scheduled for completion this year.
At the adjacent Sunrise Wind site, construction has achieved nearly 50% completion. The area features a combination of installed turbines and vacant yellow foundations awaiting their towers and blades. A vessel equipped with massive cranes for installing offshore wind components was positioned nearby.
One spinning turbine’s tip seemed to reach the cloud line.
South Fork Wind, America’s inaugural large-scale offshore wind facility, sits adjacent to the Revolution Wind location.
Currently in its second year of commercial operation, its dozen turbines generate sufficient electricity for more than 70,000 New York homes.
A vessel serving as a mobile headquarters for wind farm technicians was positioned beside one turbine Thursday. The workers had crossed the ship’s gangway onto the turbine and were stationed at its foundation.
When South Fork launched in 2024, Biden administration representatives described it as merely the start — significant new wind installations would appear along American coastlines to address climate change, generate employment and speed the country’s clean energy transition.
Under a year later, Trump resumed the presidency and directed a temporary suspension of leasing and permitting for wind energy developments. His administration has halted work on wind farms currently under construction, negotiated a $1 billion payment to a French energy corporation to abandon U.S. offshore wind development and implemented additional review requirements for wind and solar projects. Federal courts have overturned several of his directives blocking wind energy advancement, including a Tuesday decision preventing the administration from enforcing some policies that slow clean energy development.
While wind energy faces restrictions, American electricity demand is surging dramatically with few alternatives available in space-limited coastal states for major new energy projects in coming years, which increases utility costs, according to Hillary Bright, executive director of offshore wind advocacy organization Turn Forward.
“These energy policies are really hitting people at home, in their pocketbooks,” she said. “Offshore wind ultimately can be a part of that solution.”
The nearest installation to shore is the Block Island Wind Farm, located in state waters near Block Island, Rhode Island.
These five turbines started operating in 2016, establishing this as America’s first offshore wind facility. Its turbines are shorter than those at later projects, but still appear massive at close range. They substituted for polluting diesel generators that previously powered Block Island.
Vineyard Wind completed construction in March, becoming the first wind farm to reach this milestone during Trump’s current presidency.
The facility is anticipated to achieve full operation in upcoming months, powering over 400,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses.
Two additional major U.S. offshore wind farms remain under construction: Empire Wind, a New York offshore wind development, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a Virginia offshore wind project.
“This is a major commercial industry in the United States of America,” Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said in an interview. “Whether the president is enthusiastic about it or not, we have massive energy projects that are either bringing power to the grid or near completion.”
