Proposed Offshore Wind Farm Would Be The Largest The In U.S.

A company that wants to build a power-generating wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island has applied to federal authorities to build the largest proposed offshore wind farm in the United States.

Deepwater Wind Energy Center's 200-turbine, 1,000-megawatt project replaces a 350-megawatt, 100-turbine project proposed by the Providence-based company two years ago.

Under the new plan, Deepwater would also build an undersea transmission network stretching from Massachusetts to New York.

The wind farm would cost an estimated $4.5 billion to $5 billion, and the transmission system an additional $500 million to $1 billion.

Deepwater officials tell The Providence Journal the company wants to take advantage of recent federal decisions streamlining the permitting process.