Ørsted brings Revolution Wind farm fully online to power more than 350,000 homes
Key Facts
Ørsted announced that the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm reached full commercial operation in October, providing enough electricity for the equivalent of more than 350,000 homes in New England. Completion of operations means the project has moved into commercial supply after it began sending electricity to the regional grid in March 2026. The farm sells its output to three utilities: Rhode Island Energy, Eversource Energy and United Illuminating. The electricity is covered by 20-year power purchase agreements with utilities in Rhode Island and Connecticut. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said full operation of the project would make Connecticut's electricity supply "greener and less expensive".
The capacity to serve the equivalent of more than 350,000 homes places the project among the region's major additions to electricity supply. According to Canary Media, Revolution Wind became the third U.S. utility-scale offshore wind farm to reach full commercial operation. It was preceded by South Fork Wind near New York, followed by Vineyard Wind near Massachusetts. The ranking reflects that full commercial operation remains a limited stage among operating U.S. offshore wind projects. For buyers, the 20-year contracts provide a long-term framework for purchasing the electricity generated by the project.
The project began sending electricity to the New England grid in March 2026, before ramping up toward full operation. The Associated Press said at the time that the project was generating electricity and that output would increase over the following weeks until it reached full operation. Ørsted's November announcement marks the completion of that phase, following the start of supplies in the spring. The electricity reaches a regional grid spanning New England states, while utilities in Rhode Island and Connecticut purchase it. This sequence shows the project's transition from initial generation to full commercial supply within the same year.
Estimates from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection indicate that the project could reduce New England wholesale energy market costs by about $500 million annually by 2028. The estimate places the expected wholesale market impact within a defined time horizon, after the project began supplying electricity to its utility buyers. The savings figure remains a government estimate tied to 2028, while the announcement gives no actual figure for cost reductions after full operation. Blumenthal said his state's electricity supply would become "greener and less expensive" with the project fully operational. The assessment combines the impact of renewable supply with the expectation of lower electricity costs in Connecticut.
Full operation followed an order by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to suspend ongoing activities on the project for 90 days on national security grounds. The order was issued on December 22, 2025, according to the bureau, and covered the suspension of all project-related activities during the specified period. This places the project in the context of regulatory obstacles it faced before completing operations, without changing the fact that electricity began reaching the grid in March 2026. After ramping up generation, the project reached full commercial operation in October. The current development centers on its transition to full supply under long-term purchase agreements with regional utilities.