The developers of the 800MW Vineyard Wind offshore project are leasing the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal for 18 months as the primary staging and deployment base for the wind farm off Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) constructed and operates the 12-hectare terminal, which is designed to support the assembly and deployment of offshore wind projects, as well as handle bulk, break-bulk, container and large specialty marine cargo.
It is the first port in North America specifically built to support the staging and deployment of offshore wind components.
The lease agreement is valued at $6m a year.
MassCEC chief executive Stephen Pike said: “The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal provides Massachusetts with an important piece of infrastructure that will be critical in helping the offshore wind industry to establish operations in this new American marketplace.
“MassCEC is pleased to welcome Vineyard Wind as the first offshore wind developer to utilise this one-of-a-kind facility as we launch offshore wind in the US.”
The final acceptance of the Vineyard Wind contract is conditional upon regulatory approval by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which is expected to be completed in early 2019.
Vineyard Wind also requires permitting approval from state and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Vineyard Wind chief executive Lars Thaaning Pedersen said: “Vineyard Wind has made the Port of New Bedford and the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal a centre piece of our proposal to build and operate an 800MW wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts because we truly understand the importance of the excellent port infrastructure and an existing supply chain that’s available right here, ready to help make offshore wind a lasting success.
“Vineyard Wind’s initial investment and the Commonwealth’s commitment to clean energy will pay enormous dividends, in particular creation of a robust, sustainable supply chain that will stimulate new jobs and economic activity here on the South Coast.”
Vineyard Wind is jointly owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables.
An artist’s impression of the terminal handling offshore wind farm components is pictured and a video outlining more details on it can be found here.