A new partnership will spur development of the first phase of the dormant South Quay site in East Providence as a support hub for the offshore wind industry.
Under the agreement between ProvPort and Rhode Island Waterfront Enterprises, Waterson Terminal Services – the company that operates ProvPort – has pledged to match a $35 million state commitment from 2022 to develop South Quay.
In a statement, the partnership said the combined $70 million will make South Quay a fully operational terminal allowing ships to offload and onload cargo, such as the wind turbines meant to be built at the site.
They say the project will create jobs and offer an economic boost for the state.
“This is the solution we have been looking for to get this project moving,” East Providence Mayor Roberto DaSilva said in the statement. “I want to thank Governor McKee, Speaker Shekarchi, Senate President Ruggerio, Commerce Secretary Tanner, ProvPort, and Waterson Terminal Services for their commitment to match the state’s funding to develop this critical asset for the City of East Providence.”
Phase one activities at South Quay will include dredging, steel bulkheading, marine construction of a 550-foot dock, 18 acres of high-bearing capacity upland improvements and related utility and lighting work.
State lawmakers declined to include an additional $25 million for South Quay in the 2023-24 budget, largely since the $35 million approved a year earlier had not yet been spent.
While the vision for South Quay has been slow to develop, supporters said the new partnership is an important moment.
“Nearly every morning for the last 5 years, I’ve sat in my office and looked across the bay at the unrealized and undeveloped South Quay knowing full well what it could mean to the State of Rhode Island and the offshore wind industry,” Chris Waterson, president and CEO, Waterson Terminal Services, said in a statement. “Our team has put in a great deal of work to get to this point and we are very pleased to have a role in this transformational project.”
Construction on phase one of the project is expected to begin next year and take about two years to complete.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@thepublicsradio.org.
