Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between AVANGRID Inc.’s Avangrid Renewables subsidiary and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), has partnered with Semco Maritime, an international service provider for offshore wind energy projects, as the latest initiative included in the company’s Commonwealth Wind proposal.
Under the terms of the agreement, Semco Maritime will create a service and maintenance hub in New Bedford and hire up to 40 people in the coming years. Semco Maritime will hire local residents in a variety of positions, including management, staff technicians, specialists, engineers and administration. The partnership agreement is contingent on Commonwealth Wind being selected by the state in the most recent round of solicitation for offshore wind energy.
Vineyard Wind also announced that Semco has been selected as the preferred supplier for maintenance of the foundations and electric service platform (ESP) for the company’s Vineyard Wind 1 project, which recently became the first offshore wind project in the U.S. to achieve financial close.
“We’re very proud of the way we’ve been able to leverage our leading position in the U.S. to maximize the local potential of the offshore wind industry, and our partnership with Semco Maritime is a perfect example,” says Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen. “While our Commonwealth Wind proposal has benefits for people across the state, we know that New Bedford will continue to be a critical hub for the industry for decades to come.”
“We are pioneering the clean energy economy right here in New Bedford,” states Bill White, president and CEO for offshore at Avangrid Renewables. “Partnerships with companies such as Semco will be a bedrock of a new clean energy industry and demonstrate that offshore wind will deliver not only clean energy, but real economic opportunity to communities across the Commonwealth.”
The partnership gives Semco Maritime the ability to work with other projects and developers. If Semco Maritime is successful in working with other parties, the number of potential jobs may increase further.
“Vineyard Wind is a true pioneer in U.S. offshore wind, and we’re proud of this partnership, which marks an important milestone for us and establishes Semco Maritime as the first full scope offshore wind maintenance provider in the U.S.,” comments Semco Maritime CEO Steen Brødbæk. “We look forward to cooperating with Vineyard Wind and local stakeholders to contribute to the positive development of New Bedford and the community.”
Commonwealth Wind is a newly proposed offshore wind project submitted to Massachusetts’ third competitive offshore wind solicitation. If awarded, Commonwealth Wind will be developed in an area 22 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard that was designated by the federal government in 2015 following a multi-year stakeholder process. Commonwealth Wind can deliver up to 1,200 MW of clean and affordable energy to Massachusetts, power 750,000 homes in Massachusetts, create over 11,000 jobs (FTE), catalyze hundreds of millions of investments in offshore wind infrastructure, and deliver substantial commitments to environmental justice communities.
