Bay State Wind, a 50/50 offshore wind partnership between Ørsted and New England transmission builder Eversource, has entered into an agreement with EEW, a provider of steel pipe manufacturing, to open and staff a Massachusetts facility to manufacture offshore wind components.
Bay State Wind is proposing an offshore wind project located 25 miles off the Massachusetts South Coast and 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Bay State Wind and EEW will collaborate with Houston-headquartered Gulf Island Fabrication, which constructs offshore and onshore energy facilities. The collaboration will deploy new and specialized steel manufacturing capabilities that are not currently used in the U.S., according to the partners.
EEW and Gulf Island Fabrication recently visited Massachusetts to view potential site locations to build the U.S. hub. The new facility will generate approximately 500 annual construction jobs with up to 1,200 additional annual indirect jobs in the local community, the partners predict.
With a working relationship lasting nearly 10 years, EEW has supplied more than 650 monopile foundations to offshore wind projects with Ørsted around the world. Ørsted identified EEW for Bay State Wind early in the development of the project.
“Being able to bring the world’s preeminent steel manufacturer in the offshore energy sector along with Gulf Island Fabrication, a premier U.S. fabrication company, to work on the Bay State Wind project is a tremendous honor,” comments Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America. “In addition to an unmatched record of safety, EEW has been a longtime partner of Ørsted’s, which will make for seamless project management and a strong, trusting working relationship.”
“By teaming up with EEW and Gulf Island Fabrication, we are working to bring world-class offshore wind expertise to the U.S.,” adds Mike Auseré, vice president of business development at Eversource. “It will allow us to play a vital role in bolstering the local economy and ensuring customers are always receiving the best return on their investments by our continuous efforts to keep energy costs low.”
EEW and Gulf Island will specifically work on the production of monopile foundations and transition pieces, including secondary steel components, painting and pre-fabricated components for offshore wind turbine foundations. EEW will manufacture the large steel pipes and primary pieces of the project, and Gulf Island will outfit the secondary materials of the project and execute the painting scope. At every possible opportunity, the companies will contract with local Massachusetts suppliers and manufacturers to source and develop capabilities for several major components, including boat landings, ladders and internal platforms for the construction of the foundations.
