To The Editor:

As you’re reading this over your morning coffee, some small portion of the electricity powering your home is currently coming from wind off the Atlantic Ocean. Think about how special that is for a second. A major clean energy milestone for the state and the region has been achieved thanks to Revolution Wind, Connecticut's offshore wind project that began delivering power to the New England grid last week.

Imagine your house uses roughly 800 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month — close to the Connecticut average — about 40 of those kilowatt-hours are already arriving from Revolution Wind's turbines spinning 15 miles south of Point Judith, Rhode Island. That share of your electricity will grow as the project reaches full commercial operation later this year.

And once Revolution is fully operational, it will generate up to 704 megawatts — enough to power 350,000 homes across Connecticut and Rhode Island. According to CT DEEP analysis, the project will save ratepayers up to $500 million annually in wholesale energy costs. That’s critical, especially a winter season like we’ve experienced. In fact, the other generating offshore wind farms in Massachusetts and New York performed very well during recent cold snaps. Not only will Revolution reduce price volatility from natural gas in the region, it will also strengthen grid reliability and support a diverse energy mix.

Maybe the most important win for us is how this project created more than 2,000 jobs in construction, manufacturing, and local maritime industries, including over 1,000 union positions. Members of our community here in Newtown have played a direct role in making this economic engine a reality and will continue to support efforts around New London's State Pier — which will now pivot to finalizing construction efforts on a NY offshore wind project south of Long Island. Whether you’ve taken the Amtrak or driven on I-95, you may have seen those large towers and blades ready to be transported into position offshore at the pier.

Revolution Wind is a win for Newtown families, for Connecticut and for our region. Thank you to all who made this possible.

Damian Bednarz

Chair, Newtown Sustainable Energy Commission