Offshore wind power developer Deepwater Wind is seeking permission to erect a 180-foot-tall meteorological tower on Block Island to collect weather data.

The company has asked the New Shoreham Town Council to approve the temporary tower that would be put up near the entrance to the Great Salt Pond, on the west side of the island, reported projo.com. It added that the tower would be the first significant physical sign of the company’s two-part plan to install as many as eight wind turbines within three miles of Block Island by 2012 and 100 turbines in federal waters off the coast of Rhode Island several years later.

Earlier this year, Governor Donald L. Carcieri had announced that the state has signed a joint development agreement with Deepwater Wind Rhode Island, LLC outlining the terms and conditions for the construction of a wind energy development off the shores of Rhode Island. That time it was shared that under the agreement, Deepwater Wind will receive preferred developer status, allowing the company first choice of approved sites for the placement and construction of the project. Approved locations will be determined through the Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) being conducted by the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) in partnership with the University of Rhode Island (URI).

Deepwater Wind has been selected by two states to develop sizable offshore wind projects - in Rhode Island and with its partner PSEG Renewables in New Jersey.