Ventolines, a Dutch renewable energy company, has signed on as the offshore wind expertise partner for the Mayflower Wind project off Massachusetts and has opened its first permanent U.S. office in Boston.
Mayflower Wind, a joint venture of Shell New Energies and Ocean Winds (the global offshore wind collaboration between EDP Renewables and ENGIE), is utilizing a federal lease area about 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 23 miles south of Nantucket. Mayflower has power purchase agreements in place with Massachusetts utilities for 804 MW of generating capacity.
“Our formal entry into the U.S. market is the next logical step in our company’s evolution,” says Thibaut de Groen, an offshore wind specialist at Ventolines. “From their new office in Boston, Ventolines will explore new opportunities in the U.S. energy market.”
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management has awarded 16 leases for offshore wind farms from Massachusetts to North Carolina. According to the Business Network for Offshore Wind, the East Coast states have committed to developing 29 GW of offshore wind power.
For Mayflower, Ventolines will provide transport and installation (T&I) expertise on the substation, foundations, array cables and wind turbines. The company supervised the installation of turbines and advised on asset management for the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. – the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Additionally, the company supplied technical due diligence for the turbine selection and technical support for negotiating the turbine supply contract on offshore wind projects planned for Maryland and New York.
