NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island fishermen say they’re frustrated that plans for offshore wind farms don’t reflect their concerns about spacing between turbines.
Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind and Eversource discussed their 130-megawatt South Fork Wind Farm at a recent meeting.
The Providence Journal reports that members of the state’s Fishermen’s Advisory Board said they have requested a minimum of one nautical mile (1.15 miles or 1.85 kilometers) between turbines for years.
Fishermen say that distance between turbines in all directions is needed for navigation, and that turbines need to be oriented from east to west to coincide with the direction that they fish.
The current South Fork plans have a nautical mile between three rows of turbines east to west, but there’s a narrower distance between turbines going north to south.
