The offshore wind joint venture (JV) of Ørsted and Eversource has officially broken ground on its future office in New London, Conn.
Today, members of the JV joined their future neighbors and the New London business community at a ceremonial groundbreaking event at the Muddy Waters Café at 42 Bank St.
“The governor, port authority, city and local industry leaders have been fantastic partners, and we are looking forward to beginning constructions on Connecticut’s first offshore wind projects,” says Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America. “It’s time to set up a permanent presence for the JV in New London, and I can think of no better place than in a historic downtown building with views of State Pier.”
The new office will occupy the 2nd and 3rd floors of 42 Bank St., with a total size of roughly 3,000 square feet. The office will host two conference spaces and private offices. The lease for the property was signed in December 2018 and will run for at least five years.
“Offshore wind is an incredible opportunity for Connecticut, and this office will be instrumental as we carry out our current wind procurement contracts,” says Eversource’s vice president of offshore wind, Michael Auseré. “The Revolution Wind project will deliver 300 MW of offshore wind power to Connecticut, enough to power over 125,000 homes.”
The JV’s commitments to Connecticut include a $93 million public-private partnership with the state to drive infrastructure improvements at State Pier that will modernize the facility for cargo and support maximum use of the space. Additional commitments have been made in the form of grants and funding to support local industries and nonprofit organizations.
“New London was founded as a whaling city; we used to light homes with oil brought in by ships,” remarks Barry Neistat, co-owner of the Muddy Waters Café. “It’s time for New London to once again light our homes with energy from offshore. Ørsted and Eversource felt that the second and third floors of my building would be the perfect place to fully connect with the New London community. I’m looking forward to welcoming them as our neighbor in the coming months.”
Renovation of the office is expected to be completed in next year, including structural repairs and the installation of a back deck. Current designs maintain the historic facade of the building. Work on the property, which was originally constructed in 1830, is being carried out by local contractor David Preka, president and CEO of Advanced Group in Mystic, Conn.
