Providence-based Deepwater Wind is the provisional winner of the nation’s first-ever auction for an offshore wind farm in federal waters. The farms will be built off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The company plans to begin construction of the Deepwater Wind Energy Center as early as 2017 and hopes to be operational by 2018.

The project, located at least 13 miles off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, could power 350,000 homes and cut pollution from fossil fuel plants in the region. States including New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will have the opportunity to purchase power from the project.

The Sierra Club, a national grassroots environmental organization, believes states should get involved with the project.

"Building offshore wind in the U.S. will mean creating new jobs, developing new businesses and growing our economy – all while delivering clean, reliable power to our homes and businesses," Ryan Black, the Massachusetts Sierra Club chapter director, said in a statement. "Gov. Patrick can make Massachusetts a national leader by investing in this project that will protect our families from rising fossil fuel costs and rising seas."