Regulatory services and environmental surveys

Block Island Wind Farm

The Block Island community originally relied on five diesel generators to provide their power—a system that burned over one million gallons of fuel every year. When Orsted set out to implement an offshore commercial windfarm for Block Island, they brought us in to provide specialized regulatory environmental compliance services.

We handled hydroacoustic monitoring of underwater noise associated with the project’s submarine cable laying barge—a system which was used to install the submarine cable that connects five offshore wind turbines to Block Island for energy transfer. Working collaboratively with Orsted and the permitting agencies, we helped develop a field verification monitoring program that reduced the need to perform continuous monitoring during the cable laying process. We also conducted bat and avian post-construction monitoring including ship-based observations as well as the testing of a proprietary offshore thermal camera.

With this wind farm in place, Block Island benefits from reliable, renewable energy while reducing their carbon dioxide emissions and diversifying their power generation.