The Rhode Island Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments intended to stop the Deepwater Wind electric generation project planned for Block Island Sound.
The project calls for the construction of five turbines. They would generate 30 megawatts of electricity. The objection by business is that the cost -- 24 cents per kilowatt hour -- is nearly triple the going rate.
"You could have somebody come into Rhode Island right now, put up windmills, do other types, like they did the methane plant, and get competitive prices. This is not competitive, and so we just shouldn't force it down the ratepayers' throats," said Bill Felkner of the Ocean State Policy Research Institute.
Deepwater Wind disputed the cost estimate.
"Well, we don't think they're going to pay triple the cost in the long term because the triple cost estimate is all based on how much you think fossil fuels are going to cost some time over the next 20 years," Jeff Grybowski of Deepwater Wind.
The legal strategy to overturn the decision to permit the project was discussed today by a law professor, and opponents say the extra cost is not going to justify the jobs from the project.
"The jobs that it will create are taking money out of this pocket to create jobs out of this pocket, and as we see in the court case, and Toray Plastics has shown, that $7.3 million they're going to have to spend in above-market costs is going to cost them jobs," Felkner said.
Deepwater Wind says the few jobs from this construction will balloon if it leads to a 200-turbine project further offshore.
"The large wind farm will probably create somewhere in the order of magnitude of 800 to 1,000 jobs, and as the industry grows throughout the northeast from Delaware through Maine, Rhode Island and Quonset will have the opportunity to be the center of that industry," Grybowski said.
It's expected the state Supreme Court will take up to 60 days to render its decision. If gives the go ahead to Deepwater Wind, turbines could begin generating electricity in two years.
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