Aug. 16--For months, Rhode Islanders have been hearing sometimes breathless claims from government and business leaders that the Ocean State will have the first offshore wind farm in the nation. Governor Carcieri has led the refrain, repeating his catchphrase, "Spin, baby, spin," at green energy events across the state.

Despite two crucial developments within four days in June, Deepwater Wind, the startup company selected by the state, still has much to do before it can install more than 100 turbines in the ocean off the Rhode Island coast.

With plans moving forward in New Jersey and Delaware -- not to mention recent progress in Cape Wind's years-long fight in Massachusetts -- it's far from certain that Deepwater and Rhode Island will succeed in their quest to be first.

And make no mistake, being first is important. For the developer, it means more than just bragging rights. It gives the company a leg up on its competitors as it tries to develop additional wind farms elsewhere.

For the state, it means much-needed economic development and valuable green-collar jobs. The thinking is that whichever state has the first offshore wind farm will become home to a lucrative manufacturing industry that will supply similar developments up and down the East Coast.

The stakes are high. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the wind generation capacity within 50 miles of the United States coastline to be roughly equivalent to the country's total current electrical capacity. About half the potential wind resources are located off the Northeast and mid-Atlantic coasts.

So if even a fraction of those resources are developed, the company that builds offshore first -- and the state where it builds -- could reap huge benefits.

"The potential is tremendous," said Bonnie Ram, an offshore wind expert based in Washington, D.C., with the energy consulting firm Energetics. "It's a game of who gets in first. Whoever does will get the advantage."

The race to build the first offshore wind farm in the United States had only one competitor until very recently. In 2001, Energy Management Inc., a company headed by Jim Gordon that developed power plants in Pawtucket, Tiverton and elsewhere in New England, came up with a $1.2-billion plan to install 130 wind turbines in federal waters in Nantucket Sound about five miles from shore.

But any head start that project (known as Cape Wind) once enjoyed has been undercut by legal challenges mounted by powerful opponents, including the Kennedy family, who have fought to protect Cape Cod from what they believe is an ill-conceived development that would destroy views and harm the boating industry.

Cape Wind was followed in 2005 by the Long Island Power Authority, which proposed putting 40 turbines within sight of shore. But with cost estimates skyrocketing and opposition growing, the plan was scuttled two years ago.

In 2006, Bluewater Wind, a firm with international backers, proposed the first project in deep waters far from land. The company wants to put at least 55 turbines 12 miles from the coast of Delaware starting in 2012.

And then last September, Deepwater Wind LLC was selected over six other companies to develop a proposal in Rhode Island. Deepwater, based in Hoboken, N.J., actually came up with two projects.

The smaller of them, a wind farm with five to eight turbines in state waters about three miles from Block Island, is on schedule to be up and running in 2012. The second project, a wind farm with 100 turbines in federal waters at least 15 miles from the Rhode Island coast, would follow by 2014.

The company is not just focused on Rhode Island. In June, the federal Minerals Management Service awarded Deepwater two exploratory leases in New Jersey to test offshore wind. Fishermen's Energy, another fledgling venture, also received a lease in New Jersey. Bluewater received leases in both New Jersey and Delaware.

Other states and companies on the East Coast have come forward with rough plans to develop offshore wind. The Long Island Power Authority has come back with a second plan, this time partnering with Con Edison to install more than 160 turbines 13 miles from shore. Maine could begin testing offshore sites in early 2010. The Southern Company, an electric utility, is applying to put up data collection towers off Georgia and Florida. South Carolina plans to start taking measurements using offshore buoys.

Even as others have entered the race, Cape Wind can still claim to be leading the pack.

In January, Energy Management received a final environmental impact statement from the federal government and expects a Record of Decision, the last step in the permitting process, by the end of August, according to a spokesman. In May, the company received a composite certificate covering all of the state permits it needs.

In a presentation to the local chapter of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in July, environmental consultant Chris Rein, who is heading up permitting efforts for Cape Wind, said construction is expected to start in a year.

But new lawsuits have already been filed against Cape Wind. The decision to consolidate the state permits has been appealed by a number of groups, including a regional planning commission and the influential Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, which has battled the project from the beginning. Opponents have promised more legal challenges once the federal Record of Decision comes through.

There are also questions surrounding Bluewater.