Businesses and civic leaders gathered in New London, Connecticut, to hear details about a proposed offshore wind project that could bring hundreds of jobs to the city and potentially cheaper electricity to the state.
The project is tied to New London’s State Pier, which would become the hub for the building and distribution of 35 wind turbines that would be placed 40 miles off the Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts coastline by 2023.
State Senator Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, hopes the wind farm will help with Connecticut’s high electricity prices.
Local fishermen, however, have expressed concerns about the effect the turbines would have on fishing grounds.
Gary Yerman of New London Seafood Distributors says the needs of the fishing industry need to be taken into account.
“I have received a study from Norway where they think the wind farms might possibly have impacted the migratory patterns of herring. The fishermen there and the country count on that for their food source.”
If completed, the proposed 300-megawatt wind farm will be able to power around 150,000 Connecticut homes.