Governor McKee, Congressional Delegation, Local and State Officials Break Ground on Phase 1 of South Quay Project

Published on Monday, September 12, 2022

Project will create good-paying jobs, marking a big step forward for Rhode Island’s Blue Economy

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Dan McKee and East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva today broke ground on Phase 1 of the South Quay Marine Terminal project. When completed, this terminal will become a game-changing wind turbine staging area, creating a central hub for the Northeast’s growing offshore wind economy. 

The Governor and Mayor were joined for the groundbreaking by Senator Jack Reed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman James Langevin, Congressman David Cicilline, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey, East Providence Town Council President Robert Britto, Michael Sabitoni, President, RI Building and Construction Trades Council, and Don Law, South Quay Property Owner.

“Rhode Island is a leader in offshore wind and this critical investment continues to ensure that our state remains at the center of this key industry,” said Governor Dan McKee. “I’m grateful to our Congressional Delegation who made sure Rhode Island received our fair share of ARPA dollars and to the General Assembly for passing this proposal. Together, we will not only redevelop this land into a state of the art port but we will also create good paying jobs in the process.” 

"We are thrilled to see shovels in the ground on this project," Mayor Bob DaSilva said. "Thanks to our public-private partnership with the State of Rhode Island and the RI Waterfront Enterprises, this parcel of land, which sat idle for more than 40 years, will be a game-changer for our city and the region both for the offshore wind industry and the number of local jobs it will create." 

With prime access to New England, Canada, and the U.S. Midwest markets, South Quay will help streamline the offshore wind supply chain in Rhode Island and support the growth of the offshore wind industry. Thanks to funding from President Biden and Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation, in his FY 23 budget, Governor McKee directed $35 million in American Rescue Plan funds for South Quay to transform an undeveloped parcel in East Providence and create a large integrated intermodal shipping hub to support the offshore wind industry. 

East Providence’s South Quay Marine Terminal project will create a large, integrated, and centralized hub of intermodal shipping specially designed to support the budding offshore wind industry. The terminal will provide a significant number of jobs for Rhode Island residents over the years, along with benefits to the state and region, as well as the environment, and improve freight-transport conditions and support the development of clean renewable energy.

Under the funding provided for Phase 1, the project development team (City of East Providence, RI Waterfront Enterprises, and RI Commerce) seek to finish the design activities and develop the waterfront portion of the South Quay Marine Terminal to result in a highly robust marine-industrial facility. Phase 1 includes the following components:

• A 525 foot berth, with a cofferdam bulkhead and concrete platform – this is enough for a single large vessel to berth (such as an offshore wind installation vessel, which are typically less than 500 feet long), or two barges, which are the types of vessels projected to be used for early mover offshore wind projects. 
• Fendering, bollards, and water service at the bulkhead to accommodate large vessels. 
• Approximately 10 acres of laydown area in the uplands behind the bulkhead. This laydown area would be operationally functional to allow for storage of materials/components. 
• Additional grading and land improvements throughout the site.

South Quay is situated along the Providence River, right outside of the bustling Providence Harbor and adjacent to a deep-water channel. Additionally, the site is located within 75 nautical miles to the Massachusetts and New York Wind Lease, areas which will rely on sites like the South Quay for manufacturing, storage and construction. The site is also adjacent to I-195 and I-95 which run through Rhode Island making the site very accessible to large interstate and highway systems, decreasing time and cost for the transportation of goods. 

“When we wrote the American Rescue Plan Act, we knew it needed to address both acute and long-standing challenges. And I particularly wanted to ensure the $1.67 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds in the law were flexible and could be targeted to each state’s priorities. The $35 million in federal funding for this project should help transform this site, create a cleaner energy future, and bring more good-paying jobs to Rhode Island now and in the future,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, who helped deliver $1.25 billion in state and local funds in the CARES Act and another $1.67 billion in state and local fiscal recovery funds in the American Rescue Plan Act.” 

“Rhode Island has led on offshore wind every step of the way,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a champion in the Senate for clean energy. “We are making the big plans for South Quay a reality, thanks to federal funding and the leadership of Governor McKee and the General Assembly. This investment will leverage Rhode Island’s talent, oceans expertise, and location to create a hub for the offshore wind industry, which is primed for major growth by the clean energy parts of our Inflation Reduction Act.” 

“The American Rescue Plan was nothing short of a transformative piece of legislation which continues to pay huge dividends for the people of Rhode Island,” said U.S. Representative Jim Langevin. “Thanks to Governor McKee’s leadership, $35 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan is headed towards East Providence to make the South Quay Marine Terminal project into a major hub for New England’s rapidly expanding offshore wind industry. I can’t wait to see what becomes of this exciting project.” 

“Today’s groundbreaking is a huge deal,” said U.S. Representative David Cicilline. “The South Quay Marine Terminal will position Rhode Island to continue on its path as a leader in the offshore wind industry. This project will create good-paying jobs, spur lasting growth in the blue economy, and help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. I applaud our state and local leaders for this strategic and forward-thinking use of American Rescue Plan funding.” 

“Rhode Island is a national leader in harnessing offshore wind and this marine terminal will enhance our commitment to growing the job opportunities in the new blue economy,” said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi. “The House was proud to work with Governor McKee to ensure that $35 million was included in the state budget for this critical project.” 

“The South Quay project has the potential to transform our state’s future,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey. “Creating a central hub to support the region’s growing offshore wind industry will keep Rhode Island on the cutting-edge of the blue economy, help us meet our critical renewable energy goals, and open new doors of opportunity for thousands of Rhode Islanders. This is a wise investment of once-in-a-lifetime federal funding and an example of how much we can accomplish when we work together.”

###