Houston-based ABS Group has announced it will serve as the certified verification agent (CVA) for Deepwater Wind's 30 MW Block Island offshore wind demonstration project, to be located three miles off the coast of Block Island, R.I.
‘The CVA's role is, as an independent agent, to verify that the facility is being designed, fabricated, installed, constructed and then operated in accordance with design standards and with current regulatory requirements,’ explains Theodore Hofbauer, ABS Group's power sector development director.
"With this role at Block Island, ABS Group further strengthens its leading role in verifying the safety and integrity of installations around the world during this era of energy industry transformation."
This announcement is the latest in a series regarding the five-turbine Block Island project. Earlier this month, Deepwater Wind announced it had selected Gulf Island Fabrication to construct the steel jacket foundations for the wind farm. Then, the U.S. Department of the Interior later announced it had authorized the Block Island Transmission System, a bi-directional submerged transmission cable that will connect to the offshore wind project.
Deepwater expects offshore construction on the wind farm to begin next summer, with the project in service in 2016.
