Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), says that DEME Offshore US LLC will serve as its contractor for the offshore transport and installation of the wind turbine generators for its Vineyard Wind 1 project, the first large-scale offshore wind installation in the U.S.
DEME Offshore US LLC is teaming up with FOSS Maritime Co. LLC, a U.S. maritime service contractor that provides union jobs for its employees. FOSS will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder vessels, a concept by which the wind turbines will be transported from the port of New Bedford to the specialized DEME Offshore US LLC installation jack-up vessel. The DEME Offshore US LLC office in Massachusetts will be the base of operations for activities for the Vineyard Wind project.
“We’re very excited to make this announcement not only because it’s an important step in the development of our first project but also because of the impact it will have on the U.S. workforce,” says Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “The offshore wind industry has tremendous potential to create good-paying jobs and investment opportunities while also reducing carbon pollution. By working with companies like DEME Offshore US LLC and FOSS Maritime, we can ensure that U.S. labor is gaining from the experience of well-established operators.”
Located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Wind 1 is slated to become the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. With a generating capacity of 800 MW, the project will create thousands of good-paying jobs and reducing electricity rates by $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation.
Vineyard Wind is expected to reach financial close in the second half of this year and begin delivering clean energy to Massachusetts in 2023.
