Wind turbines planned for Providence

PROVIDENECE, R.I. (WPRI) - The city of Providence will soon have three wind turbines spinning in the wind, providing power to the Fields Point wastewater treatment plant.

The Narragansett Bay Commission is in the process of constructing the turbines, which will actually start going up in December. In the meantime, they've created a video simulation to show how the new turbines will look.

Each turbine will stand 365 feet tall and the three will provide power for the plant to the tune of 4.5 megawatts per year - enough to cover about 40% of the plant's energy needs.

Wastewater from homes, businesses, schools and industries is treated at the plant before it is released into Narragansett Bay, and the Executive Director of the Commission says he's excited to be implementing some more environmentally-friendly solutions to the facility's power needs.

Ray Marshall says the plant's power bill currently stands at about $2.8 million, and will be reduced to about $1.1 million after the turbines are finished. That includes off-days when the turbines generate more power than is needed, which can then be sold back to National Grid.

The $12 million project breaks ground in December and is expected to be wrapped up in March of 2012.