Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is planning the expansion and improvement of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, a 30-acre purpose-built facility constructed and operated by MassCEC for the construction, assembly and deployment of offshore wind projects.
MassCEC says the expansion is necessary in order to support the anticipated increased demand for port facilities that can deploy larger, heavier turbine parts.
The project includes the acquisition by MassCEC of four abutting properties, the redevelopment of an existing legacy bulkhead with a new high-bearing capacity quayside and the relocation and construction of a new office and warehouse building.
It is being advanced in four phases: building abatement and soil remediation, civil site improvements for high-bearing capacity groundworks, terminal bulkhead redevelopment and new office and warehouse construction.
When completed, the project is anticipated to expand the available heavy-lift storage area by five acres, increase the total heavy-lift quayside available at the terminal to 1,200 linear feet and provide additional office and warehouse space and functionality for terminal tenants.
“One of MassCEC’s top priorities is to support the growing offshore wind industry in Massachusetts through the strategic development of port infrastructure,” says Dr. Emily Reichert, MassCEC CEO.
“The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal has provided the area necessary to stage one of the nation’s first commercial scale offshore wind projects, and this expansion will position the site as a long-term clean energy asset for the Commonwealth.”
In 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature passed An Act Relative to Immediate COVID-19 Recovery Needs, which created a new Massachusetts Offshore Wind Industry Investment Fund at MassCEC.
Through the 2022 Massachusetts Ports Investment Challenge, the Commonwealth made a $180 million investment in a portfolio of offshore wind port redevelopment projects, including funding for the Marine Commerce Terminal expansion project. In total, seven awards were made through the funding opportunity for projects in New Bedford, Salem and Somerset, including $45 million for the Marine Commerce Terminal, $75 million for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal and funding for Prysmian marine high voltage cables manufacturing facility, as well as Gladding Hearn Shipbuilding, Foss Marine Terminal and Shoreline Marine Terminals.
The anticipated completion date for the expansion project is 2026.
