CIP and Avangrid JV Vineyard Wind is to deploy and test a secondary bubble curtain during foundation installation for the 800MW offshore wind project.
The pilot programme is in partnership with ThayerMahan, a specialist in seabed surveys, acoustic mitigation and monitoring, and other maritime related services, with facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
A bubble curtain, which is comprised of large, perforated hoses and specialised air compressors, is designed to absorb and dampen sound during foundation installation.
The hoses are placed on the seafloor around the monopile before being filled by compress air.
Once the hoses are inflated, the air escapes through the perforations and creates a barrier of bubbles that reduce noise.
These operations will be conducted from the Northstar Navigator, a vessel that will be operated out of the Port of New Bedford.
US$5m funding for the programme comes from Vineyard Wind’s Industry Accelerator Fund, which is administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).
As a part of the agreement, ThayerMahan will move its headquarters for its bubble curtain acoustic mitigation product line to New Bedford, sharing part of the Foss Marine Terminal.
ThayerMahan, partnered with the world leader in Big Bubble Curtain technology – Hydrotechnik-Luebeck (HTL), has committed to hiring locally for a wide array of positions, from deckhands to data scientists.
The firm has already established a training/internship program with UMass Dartmouth, in addition to agreeing to assembly and manufacturing operations for future projects in New Bedford.
Once this partnership is executed, ThayerMahan will be the first American company to provide bubble curtain services to the US Offshore Wind industry, Vineyard Wind said.
Vineyard Wind chief executive Klaus S Moeller said: “Our agreement with ThayerMahan ensures that for the first time, a US-based company will perform the service of providing a bubble curtain mitigation system for an offshore wind project.
“We believe this is the first step of getting US firms experience in this new industry and sets the stage for rapid expansion in the coming years, particularly in our hometown of New Bedford.”