Ørsted and Eversource are working with Boskalis for the foundation and offshore substations transportation and installation work for the joint venture’s South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind projects, as well as scour protection installation contracts for its Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects. The contract for this work was finalized in late 2021. The more than 1.7 GW portfolio of projects serving Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York is expected to produce enough renewable energy for more than a million homes in the Northeast, with all projects operational by the end of 2025.
As part of the joint venture’s commitment to delivering well-paying jobs to the region and to accelerating the development of domestic offshore wind maritime expertise in the U.S., the contracts will support the training and employment of American workers and will utilize a sizable fleet of U.S. vessels. This fleet includes, but is not limited to, protected species observer vessels, platform supply vessels, barges and tugs.
The contracts will also support the opening of a new Boskalis office located in Providence, R.I. The new office will play a key role in serving as Boskalis’ renewable energy U.S. business center, supporting, among other projects, the transportation and installation of the project foundations in collaboration with the Boskalis Houston office, and serve as a central connection point for multiple project teams.
Through their joint venture projects, Ørsted and Eversource are supporting the development of a new domestic offshore wind supply chain that will create thousands of jobs for American workers across the country. As part of that commitment, the companies recently announced that work has begun on the first U.S.-built service operations vessel (SOV) and crew transfer vessel charter agreements to support the building of five new vessels in Rhode Island. The companies are also supporting the first Jones Act-qualified wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), the Charybdis, through a charter agreement with Dominion.
“Ørsted and Eversource are investing in a domestic supply chain to build the American offshore wind industry and deliver new economic opportunity to states across the country,” says David Ortiz, Ørsted’s head of Northeast government affairs and market strategy. “This includes attracting companies like Boskalis to expand their operations in states like Rhode Island, hiring and training local workers, and utilizing U.S. vessels to build our projects.”
“We are proud to partner with Boskalis to continue to deliver well-paying jobs and clean, renewable energy to the Northeast,” mentions Mike Ausere, vice president of business development at Eversource. “Boskalis global expertise in helping construct offshore wind farms as well as its shared commitment to a clean energy future makes them the perfect partner for this next exciting phase of our project development as we continue to grow the offshore wind industry here in the U.S.”
Under the contracts, Boskalis will manage transport and installation of three offshore substations and the XXL monopiles for the South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind projects. Boskalis will also install scour protection for the Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects. Many U.S. vessel operators will play a critical role in the marine transport to and from the installation site, including the transport of the first American-made offshore wind substation from where it is being fabricated in Texas.
“Ørsted and Eversource are helping to realize the development of the US offshore wind industry, providing one of the key clean energy sources for our future,” adds Jamie Lescinski, Boskalis’s offshore renewables U.S. managing director. “We are excited to help build the South Fork, Revolution and Sunrise wind farms and look forward to contributing to the growth and strength of the U.S. offshore renewables supply chain.”
As part of the recently signed National Offshore Wind Agreement with North America’s Building Trades Unions, Ørsted and Eversource have committed to using union labor for the construction of their shared portfolio of wind farms in development in the Northeast. For the South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects, Boskalis will work with local partners and labor unions for training and support for the construction, installation and logistics.
