Block Island Wind Farm

Keystone designed the four-pile jacket substructures for the five six-megawatt wind turbines comprising the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) off the coast of Rhode Island. The project solidified its spot in history by being the first offshore wind farm to be constructed in North America and demonstrating that offshore wind energy is economically feasible in the US. During the project, Keystone was contracted under the US fabrication contractor and provided on-site engineering, construction support, load-out analysis, and sea fastening support for the structures.  

Keystone’s professional services for the BIWF included conceptual development of a post-piled jacket foundation and separate transition deck, detailed structural and electrical engineering design of foundations, bidding document prep, supplier identification, fabrication yard engineering services, on-site foundation fabrication, construction/installation support, and BSEE documentation prep.

Keystone leveraged the technology developed for the offshore oil and gas industry to meet the jacket foundation’s complex design criteria for offshore wind turbines. The iterative process optimized the jacket design and reduced the amount of steel needed for the substructure while ensuring more than 20 years of design life. The optimized design also reduced installation costs and can survive hurricane-force winds.

The client recognized Keystone for providing exceptional service and expertise navigating the US regulations. Additionally, Keystone was awarded the prestigious Be Inspired Award for Offshore Innovation and received worldwide media attention for its role in the project. Block Island Wind Farm was crucial for the reduction of carbon emissions of Block Island but in addition, is a monumental project and the official start of the offshore wind industry in the US.

The Block Island Wind Farm is located 15 miles from the US mainland and 3 miles from the shore of Block Island. It supplies 30 megawatts of power to about 17,000 homes. The farm reduced the energy cost for the Block Island residents by 40 percent and will eliminate 2,000,000 tones of CO2 offset a year resulting from the diesel-generated electric power that was being used.

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