Ørsted, which has maintained its co-HQ in Rhode Island for more than six years, will move from its longtime Exchange Terrace location to a larger, 17,470-square foot location at 500 Exchange Street in the heart of downtown Providence, where it expects to more than double its headcount in the state in the years ahead.
“As the birthplace for America’s offshore wind industry, Rhode Island has always been a focal point for our company’s US operations,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “We are proud of the role Ørsted has played over the years, helping establish the Ocean State as a national leader in clean energy. We look forward to opening the doors on our new, expanded space in downtown Providence as we continue building Revolution Wind and solidify our hub in the Northeast, which includes port facilities, workforce training, and much more.”
As part of its more than $20 billion investment into American energy, Ørsted has invested more than $1.5 billion in Rhode Island as it expands its Northeast portfolio of offshore wind projects. The company employs nearly 100 Rhode Island-based employees, including at its regional Operations and Maintenance Hub in Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown, RI.
Ørsted’s expanded co-HQ in Providence is expected to open this winter, home to its existing workers in the area and new, full-time EPC employees and other positions to be hired in the near future.
Ørsted is proud to be Rhode Island’s longtime offshore wind leader. Ørsted operates the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm. Offshore construction is underway now on Revolution Wind, the state’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm. Revolution Wind is directly creating roughly 1,200 jobs across Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Ørsted’s investments in Rhode Island have catalyzed the state’s blue economy, which now features a thriving industry cluster at CIC Providence, assembly and operations hubs across the state, and a base for America’s first offshore wind Service Operations Vessel.
Ørsted’s investments in Rhode Island include $100 million to create an offshore wind manufacturing hub at ProvPort; a nearly $2 million investment supporting improvements to Quonset State Airport; and the creation of the state’s first Global Wind Organisation (GWO) certification program at the Community College of Rhode Island.
Ørsted is proposing a new Rhode Island offshore wind project, Starboard Wind, which would deliver clean and reliable offshore wind energy at stable and affordable pricing for Rhode Island homeowners and businesses for decades. If selected, Starboard Wind would result in more than $1.1 billion of direct private investment and expenditure in Rhode Island, which would come on top of Ørsted’s existing investments and commitments in the state.
