Staff from the Orsted-Eversource US offshore wind joint venture, Siemens Gamesa, and Gateway have visited the Port of New London’s State Pier in Connecticut.
A public-private partnership between the Orsted-Eversource joint venture and the state aims to transform the facility into a “major hub” for offshore wind in the north-east US.
Following the tour, Siemens Gamesa US offshore head Steve Dayney said: “Connecticut offers promising advantages for the offshore wind industry and we are pleased to work with Orsted and Eversource to bring large-scale offshore wind projects to the US through New London State Pier where the Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, and South Fork turbines will be staged for construction.”
Following infrastructure upgrades to State Pier, slated to be completed in early 2022, Siemens Gamesa will begin assembling turbines to power 1700MW of north-east US offshore wind farms, awarded to Orsted and Eversource in mid-2019.
The upgrades have a $93m total projected cost, with Orsted and Eversource committed to paying more than $57.5m and Connecticut funding $35.5m.
Orsted project development director Francis Slingsby said: “Our Constitution Wind proposal will deliver enough clean energy to power more than 600,000 homes, while transforming the port of New London into one of the nation’s premier hubs for offshore wind.
“It is truly a remarkable opportunity made possible by our partnership with global offshore wind leaders like Siemens Gamesa. Deep knowledge of the industry and unparalleled expertise are what it takes to make offshore wind projects a reality, and we are incredibly proud to have Siemens Gamesa with us on this journey.”
The joint venture’s proposed Constitution Wind project will create more than 5600 direct and indirect jobs across the north-east, including approximately 300 offshore wind-related jobs at the New London State Pier.
Eversource offshore wind vice president Mike Ausere said, “Through Constitution Wind, Connecticut’s residents, businesses, and communities will be able to rely on clean, renewable energy.
“With Siemens Gamesa as our partner, New London’s State Pier will serve as thriving home for the offshore wind industry, bringing a robust supply chain and economic growth to the region.”
As part of their Constitution Wind project bid, Orsted and Eversource have committed to more than $250m to support local small business and supply chain development, construction and assembly, job training, scholarships, Connecticut’s commercial fishermen, brownfields redevelopment, coastal resiliency, environmental research, and more.
The joint venture has also pledged $5m for energy efficiency improvements for low-income residents of New London County.